Finally! Colour in Florence. Santo Ficara, owner of the longest
established contemporary art gallery in Florence has made the bold move
of bringing the works of a foreign artist to his gallery. Florence is the
most conservative of cities and contrary to France or the United States,
art in Italy is a nationalistic phenomenom. At the Bologna art fair each
year works by artists such as Graeme Todd and Vanessa Beecroft are ignored
in the rush by Italian collectors to lay hands
on a Castellani, a Negri, a Turcato or a Carla Accardi painting. The
fact that Santo Ficara is a big dealer in these Italian names emphasises
the more than mild gamble he has undertaken to host a one man show of French
artist Michel Le Goff for no other reason than he likes the work. Santo
has already shown the works of Le Goff in several group shows and showcased
some of the smaller panels at the important annual Bologna Arte Fiera.
Unlike the majority of his Italian contemporaries who made their names
in the 1960's and have hardly changedstyle or direction since, Le Goff,
who has been painting for forty years, is a constantly evolving artist.
Walk into the current show at Santo Ficara entitled "Fusion" and
you would have the instant impression the paintings on the wall were done
by one of those precociously talented young artists fresh from the stables.
They reverberate energy, innovation and a youthful charm. On opening night,
the normally staid gallery was crowded with Florentine art students. |
A few visited early and word went round so that
by 7.30pm the city's "kool" set were spilling out onto the pavement. This
is what good art should do; stimulate discussion, attract attention, but
it is a long time since I have seen it happen in Florence. Flash Art
editors Giancarlo Politi and Helena Kontova arrived from Milan and the
Biagiotti called in to congratulate the artist.
The works on show in Fusion are much more than
new takes on the Abstract Expressionist foundation and defy attempts by
one unimaginative critic to link them to works by Mark Tobey and Jackson
Pollock. Fusion is the result of long personal research into two
areas;
the scientific theory of Complexity and the link
between visual art and music. The artist uses the music to set his mood,
open his senses and guide his brushwork. Originally working with experimental
jazz musicians in London and Greece he has now moved to
collaborating with concert pianist Clive Britton.
The partnership arose due to their Florentine studios being separated only
by a wooden door. Britton played and Le Goff found himself unfurling Liszt's
complicated expressions across his canvas in a tangle of lines and pure
saturated colour; an abstract image of an abstract art form. The results
are shown in Fusion, what the artist calls his 'aleatoric paintings
on a theme'.
While Fusion is on, passing the gallery on
your way to the Bargello Museum has the same startling, refreshing effect
as when you spot a woman wearing a scarlet coat on a rainy day in Florence.
The Bargello and Michelangelo can wait, go and see the show.
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