Known as Scultura spaziale, or 'spatial sculpture', this work was created in 1947, after Fontana's return to Milan from Argentina. Like society as a whole, Fontana was at a standstill after the war and destruction.
The seemingly crude pieces of bronze, joined together to form an arch, define space. On the one hand, the sculpture creates an interior space reminiscent of a portal or even a cave; on the other, it opens dynamically into the surrounding space. Fontana sculpted the sculpture in plaster, shaping the movements sometimes more roughly, sometimes more delicately. At first glance, the work appears compact, but on closer inspection it becomes clear that Fontana has broken up the forms, creating space with each individual element.
Spatial Sculpture marks a turning point in Fontana's work. It shows for the first time how Fontana, in his intense exploration of space, attempted to create forms that went beyond the sculptures of the previous decades. The new art of space, Spazalismo, begins.
- Material & Technik
- Bronze
- Museum
- Fondazione Lucio Fontana, Mailand
- Datierung
- 1947
- Inventarnummer
- 47 SC 1