Dinamica obliqua (1966) by Alberto BiasiMinistero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Programmed art and Gruppo N
In the mid-1960s, some artists start collective studio experiences around the use of optical illusions. This was the beginning of Programmed Art, a movement in which every element follows precise scientific rules. In Padua, Gruppo N was founded, among others, by Alberto Biasi.
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"Dinamica obliqua" by Alberto Biasi consists of white PVC strings stretched on a blue background, to create a trapezoid that appears to shift as the perspective changes.
Quadri comunicanti (2008) by Grazia VariscoMinistero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Programmed art is also called kinetic art, precisely due to the importance of the movement of the viewer. This is "Quadri comunicanti" by Grazia Varisco.
Optical (1973) by Mario BalloccoMinistero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
Op Art
Kinetic and programmed art was renamed Optical Art or Op Art in the United States. The viewer is stimulated through optical illusions created by lines, shapes and colours, thus becoming co-author of the work.
Cromostruttura/71 n. 16 (1971) by Ferruccio GardMinistero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
These new avant-garde currents inspired the works of Mario Balocco, Franco Costalonga and Ferruccio Gard, in which the optical effects are created by geometry and modularity of shapes, colors and materials.
This is "Cromostruttura/71 n. 16" (1971) by Ferruccio Gard.
Costalonga, Gradiente di luminosità (1970/1979)Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
In Costalonga's work "Oggetto quadro gradienti di luminosità" the single element - a cylinder section at a 45 degree angle - is combined in regular modules that generate multicolor geometric representations, whose intensity varies depending on the point of view and the incidence of light.
Superficie a testura vibratile (1965/1968) by Getulio AlvianiMinistero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale. Collezione Farnesina
The exponents of optical and kinetic art also include Getulio Alviani, who abrades sheets of aluminium with an electric cutter to create his works, like “Superficie a testura vibratile”, focusing on the reflective effect of light on the metal surface.
The observer is no longer merely contemplating the work; by moving around, he constantly recreates it through multiple perceptive effects.
The story is created in collaboration with Touring Club Italiano
Courtesy Archivio Mario Ballocco, Alberto Biasi, Eredi Franco Costalonga, Collezione Diora Fraglica e Centro studi archivio e ricerche Getulio Alviani, Ferruccio Gard, Grazia Varisco.
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