Composition No 3

This work, as other works produced in 1932, shows extremely paired down forms taken from reality. Carla Badiali’s abstractionism, especially in her early work, is permeated by a subtle lyricism and a metaphysical atmosphere accentuated by the soft colours and above all by areas of paint that seem to allude to shadows cast irregularly in or out of geometric shapes, as can also be seen in this composition.These elements suggest an illusory spatiality and the forms almost seem to “float” on a light surface. For this reason, Carla Badiali’s abstraction can be compared with that of abstract artists who possess an intrinsic poetic vein such as Paul Klee, Atanasio Soldati, Jean Arp or Osvaldo Licini, rather than with that of more rigorously geometric painters. It was only in the works produced in the mid-thirties, probably also influenced by his closeness to Manlio Rho, that this lyrical dimension was grafted onto more rigorous and constructive geometric compositions. (E. Di Raddo)