Foscarini
— Artbook series #1.
Andrea
Anastasio
017
In the contemporary dimension,
the fragment takes on the task of being
the whole.
The space for complete narration
and the time needed to say it, no longer
coincides with the course of the world;
it is the cutting light of the glance that
gathers the essence of the form in a
snapshot, to convey it to the awareness
of the spectator.
This work began with reflections
on the age-old relationship between
light and ceramics, a voyage that extends
from oil lamps to religious shrines, and
accompanies the form of vision in its
many manifestations. I thought about
shifting the thought to contemplation and
its role in the utterly human attempt to
combine awareness of duration with the
desire for the infinite. For many centuries
the flickering light of lanterns and candles
brought icons to life in junction with
the gaze of the worshiper, or that of the
wayfarer seeking only a bit of consolation
and protection.
Then another observation made its
way into awareness, triggered by a deeper
focus on a series of works from a few
years ago, in which I approached a type
of ceramic artefact that has gradually
disappeared, from the postwar era onward:
the ceramic panels that decorated the walls
of homes, at times on the outside, to bring
good luck, and sometimes inside, to mark
the seasons and their associated rituals,
or to bolster faith with religious imagery.
It was on that occasion that I realized
the efficacy of the segment and of
non-linear narration, and I began to
dissect ceramic panels from the castings
of the Gatti archives in Faenza, breaking
them down in a systematic way. Bringing
light into this series of works was a slow
process that came after an immediate
intuition, as often happens when we want
to convey the impact of a vision that has
captured us, yet eludes us at the same
time, precisely because it is impalpable.
So, once again, the dialogue between
ornament and light becomes an
opportunity for awareness of the role
light plays in our everyday progress,
and its ability to remind us of the illusive
character of continuity, the futility of
the search for completeness.
Serie “Intervalli”
Madonna con bambino berrettino
Madonna with children berrettino blue
10 x 47,5 cm
Terracotta maiolicata doppio fuoco - LED
Double fire majolica terracotta - LED
Ceramica Gatti 1928, Faenza
2022
IN THE CONTEMPORARY.
