Untitled

In the early 1980s, Mario Merz began experimenting with burlap as a sculptural material and painterly support. He began to wrap his trademark igloo structures with the jute material and occasionally painted directly on it instead of canvas. In this rare example of Merz’s paintings on recycled burlap, we see Merz synthesize many of his iconic references into a dynamic, organic form. The spiraling, tubular shape recalls the mathematical Fibonacci sequence, which Merz associated with natural growth and progression. This association is underscored by the branch attached to the work’s surface. The form also echoes a peacock’s plumage, a snail’s shell, and a cornucopia, perhaps also recalling the artist’s early basket sculptures. Burlap is a natural woven material associated with the transport of foodstuffs, seeds, and plants. In addition to the work’s organic material repertoire, the earth-toned color palette of yellow and green underscores the artist’s interest in nature as a creative source. In the same period, Merz also explored rhythmic, gestural marks and repetitive, swirling forms in works that referenced industrial growth, such as Turbina (Turbine, 1988), also on view at Magazzino.