Untitled

In 1980, Jannis Kounellis exhibited a series of drawings that include expressive mask-like faces. Responding to the resurgence of figurative painting in the 1980s, Kounellis revived his practice of drawing to express his vision of art as action.

Using an expressionist style, Kounellis layered black ink in thick strokes. The skeletal faces cover the entire paper, creating a sense of angst and imprisonment inspired by Edvard Munch’s series, The Scream (1893–1910). These drawings are also reminiscent of Kounellis’s works in which the artist filled door frames with objects. Similar to his use of the double bed frame, the door for Kounellis was a primary reference to the fundamental and intimate dimensions of everyday life.

This work was made toward the end of a tumultuous period in Italy known as gli anni di piombo (the years of lead): a period defined by economic and political crisis, terrorism, and widespread unrest. The angst Kounellis captured in this work was timely.