Alighiero Boetti Italian, 1940-1994
Senza Titolo (Pantere), 1990
Mixed media on paper laid down on canvas
71 x 49 cm; (28 x 19 1/4 in.)
Copyright The Artist
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Alighiero Boetti's Senza Titolo (Pantere), 1990, encapsulates the artist's enduring fascination with patterns, language, and the interplay between order and disorder. Executed in mixed media on paper laid on canvas,...
Alighiero Boetti's Senza Titolo (Pantere), 1990, encapsulates the artist's enduring fascination with patterns, language, and the interplay between order and disorder. Executed in mixed media on paper laid on canvas, this work measures 71 x 49 cm and features stencilled panthers rendered in negative space. Accompanying these feline forms are red bands oriented in various directions, inscribed with phrases such as “to the right and the left, far and wide, fourteenth day of the second month nineteen-ninety, all-round, many centres, two.” The composition evokes a sense of an endless, circular chase, with the panthers seemingly in perpetual motion, guided by the textual cues that bind them.
This piece aligns closely with Boetti's Fregio, created for the 44th Venice Biennale in 1990. Fregio comprises twenty-eight segments that collectively form a continuous frieze, featuring a menagerie of animals – including fish, frogs, and lizards – depicted in a manner that suggests movement from one segment to the next. The compositional brilliance of Fregio lies in its invention of animals that run from one element to the next, analogous to the phrase that ties them together. Senza Titolo (Pantere) mirrors this approach, with the panthers' dynamic arrangement and the accompanying text creating a rhythmic, almost hypnotic pattern.
Boetti's creative process involved taking Polaroid photographs and organising his infant daughter's animal stencils by species before incorporating them into these frieze-like works. This intimate methodology adds a layer of familial connection to the artwork, intertwining the personal with the conceptual.
The choice of the panther in this work is deliberate. Known for their readiness, agility, speed, and intelligence, panthers possess qualities that resonate with Boetti's exploration of human nature and societal structures. Known for being emotionally attuned to humans the inclusion of the panther further underscores the relational dynamics present in the piece, inviting viewers to reflect on their own instincts and behaviours.
Senza Titolo (Pantere) exemplifies Boetti's ability to merge visual aesthetics with linguistic elements, creating a multifaceted experience that challenges perceptions and encourages contemplation of the inherent order and chaos within natural and constructed systems.
This piece aligns closely with Boetti's Fregio, created for the 44th Venice Biennale in 1990. Fregio comprises twenty-eight segments that collectively form a continuous frieze, featuring a menagerie of animals – including fish, frogs, and lizards – depicted in a manner that suggests movement from one segment to the next. The compositional brilliance of Fregio lies in its invention of animals that run from one element to the next, analogous to the phrase that ties them together. Senza Titolo (Pantere) mirrors this approach, with the panthers' dynamic arrangement and the accompanying text creating a rhythmic, almost hypnotic pattern.
Boetti's creative process involved taking Polaroid photographs and organising his infant daughter's animal stencils by species before incorporating them into these frieze-like works. This intimate methodology adds a layer of familial connection to the artwork, intertwining the personal with the conceptual.
The choice of the panther in this work is deliberate. Known for their readiness, agility, speed, and intelligence, panthers possess qualities that resonate with Boetti's exploration of human nature and societal structures. Known for being emotionally attuned to humans the inclusion of the panther further underscores the relational dynamics present in the piece, inviting viewers to reflect on their own instincts and behaviours.
Senza Titolo (Pantere) exemplifies Boetti's ability to merge visual aesthetics with linguistic elements, creating a multifaceted experience that challenges perceptions and encourages contemplation of the inherent order and chaos within natural and constructed systems.