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That particular subtlery of expression, allied to
moderation and restraint, which are such important
features of the Tuscan temperament, could not fail to
surface in the work of Antonio Papasso.
Papasso was born in Florence, and lived for a long
time in the shadow of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and
his character, a product of older Tuscan influences,
could not help but show through in his works - finely
gauged and highly sophisticated, subdued and often
cryptic, and always built within the artistic realms
of caution anda masterfuld control. These works bear a
certain kindship to the rarified mystic atmosphere
which sorrounds the Piazza dei Miracoli, the scultures
of Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, the frescoes of
l'Orcagna or Benozzo Gozzoli…
One of the caracteristics of Italian art today -
like that of yesterday - is that it is often (but not
always) linked to the great traditions of our past,
even when no real formal or stylistic analogy can be
seen.
In the case of Papasso however, there is nothing
in his work that bears the imprint of the figurative
memories of a remote, or even recent, past. From the
earliest works of his mature period - dating from the
mid-1970's - the artist followed his own path, which
it would be too simplistic to define as "abstract"; a
path which has inequivocally shaken off any figurative
heritage from the past, leaving nothing but the basic
materials, the colour, and above all the markings to
portray his personal and solitarytale.
Even in the earliest etchings - of which he is a
master - it was possible to see the artist's almost
imperceptible will to draw out the images with a basic
equilibrium of scarcely discernible differences of
plane, level, light and shade. This was the case in
his first collection of prints "Genealogia" (1976),
in which he first introduced the use of Papiers
Froissés (crumpled papers), in the 1981
collection ("Canta") and in the works which followed,
"Re/Spira", "Forma Naturae (Archetipi & C.)", and
"Racconto" (from '82 and '83). And it was, in fact, in
connection with the publication of "Canta" that I had
occasion to write (I apologise for the self-quotation,
although it might also serve as a "key" to the later
works): "a white disc laced by a subtle blood-red
line; two irregular lozenge shape facing each other; a
torn sheet of velum paper upon which float the minute
symbols of an obsolete alphabet; a fragment of lace
superimposed upon an oval shape crossed by brief
lines... these are creations of finely guaged lightnes,
execudet with sophisticated skill, whose markings are
bound one to the other almost as though to form a
newly begum narrative concept…"
Through the repetition - almost compulsive - of
certain graphic forms (ovoid shapes, spattering,
intermingled rectangles and circles) which make his
collages instantly recognisable and distinguish them
from the work of anyother artist, Papasso has
continued along his difficult, lonyly path.
"Crumpled papers" (papiers froissés) : the
crinkled paper is used in many compositions, either
left perfectly white or with slight underlyng
chromatic shades which are used to build an image that
is at the same time bi-and tri-dimensional. The
overall effect of the overlapping layers of
crinkle-edged paper that break up the surface of the
paper or canvas, along with the shapes drawn in very
fine strokes or graffiti, catalyses the work into a
radiantly pure surface which assumes incredibly guant
shapes and contours that are drawn and teased out from
the surface to stand out in striking relief, so that
the collage quality of the work can be assimilated
with those effects that are peculiar to
etching…
It is not easy - in fact it is quite superfluous
- to describe in words the "content" of works like
these, which lie on the borderline of abstraction and
only rarely portray any vague recollection of natural
forms (an image, for example, that brings to mind a
seascape) or formal shapes (certain ovoid
figures).
But on the other hand, it is this interpretative
difficulty itself which seems to me to hold the key to
the definition of these works. Another factor is their
absolute remoteness from the influence of other
artist, both past and present. There is perhaps only a
faint echo of certain works by Arakawa, of certain
concretions created by Tapies, or of certain surfaces
taken by Frautrier or Tobey to the point of
exasperation, to serve as a touchstone; an entirely
inappropriate touchstone, however, because each of
these artists is lacking in that absolute composure
and rigorous yet graceful precision which are the
constants of Papasso's works.
Works which, in other words, are anything but "easy", for the
very reason that his creations are devoid of heavy effects, of violent
chiaroscuro, or sword-thrusts of colour: they are as far from the
most recent Germanic expressionism as they are from the aggressive
manifestations of the "trans-avant-garde", and further still from
the unsubtle and heavy rhythms of the "primary structures" which
are being re-visited today. For this reason, Papasso's works need
to be enjoyed with love and care so as to delicately extract
their hidden and impalpable essence.
Gillo Dorfles
