Details
GIACOMO BALLA (1871-1958)
Compenetrazione iridescente - Eucalyptus
signé et daté 'Balla 1914' (en bas à gauche); signé, titré et numéroté 'COMPENETRAZIONE IRIDESCENTE NO 5 BALLA' (au revers)
huile sur toile
100.2 x 120.5 cm. (39½ x 47½ in.)
Peint en 1914
Provenance
Rose Fried, New York (acquis auprès de l'artiste, vers 1950).
Marlborough Gallery, New York.
Collection Power, Londres.
Galerie Tarica, Paris (acquis auprès de celle-ci).
Acquis auprès de celle-ci par Yves Saint Laurent et Pierre Bergé, juillet 1988.
Literature
E. Colla, in Arti visive, septembre-octobre 1952 (illustré).
V. Dortch Dorazio, Giacommo Balla: An Album of His Life and Work, New York, no. 68 (illustré).
M. Drudi Gambillo et T. Fiori, "Archivi dell'arte contemporanea", in Archivi del Futurismo, Rome, 1962, vol. II, p. 154, no. 50a (illustré, p. 78).
M. Fagiolo dell'Arco, Balla pre-futurista, Gênes, 1968, p. 43, no. 5 (illustré, p. 23, fig. 28).
M. Fagiolo dell'Arco, Futur-Balla, Rome, 1970, pp. 23 et 43, no. 5, (illustré, p. 23, fig. 28).
E. Crispolti, Balla, Rome, 1975, p. 17, no. 10 (illustré).
G. Lista, Giacomo Balla Futuriste, Lausanne, 1984, p. 171, no. 1087 (illustré, p. 170).
G.-G. Lemaire, Le Futurisme, Paris, 1995, p. 58 (illustré en
couleur).
"Aux origines de l'abstraction 1800-1914", in Le Petit Journal des Grandes Expositions, Paris, 2003, p. 7, fig. 16 (illustré en couleur).
S. Carollo, I Futuristi: La storia-gli artisti-le opere, Milan, 2004, p. 132, no. 1 (illustré en couleur).
J. Coignard, "Les chefs-d'oeuvre de la collection Yves Saint Laurent Pierre Bergé", in Connaissance des Arts, h.s., no. 271, janvier 2006 (illustré en couleur).
Exhibited
New York, Rose Fried Gallery, The Futurists: Balla, Sévérini 1912-1918, janvier-février 1954, no. 13.
Milan, Palazzo Reale, Arte programmata e cinetica 1953-1963: L'ultima avanguardia, novembre 1983-février 1984, p. 35 (illustré).
Venise, Palazzo Grassi, Futurismo & Futurismi, mai-novembre 1986, p. 91 (illustré en couleur).
Los Angeles, County Museum of Arts; Chicago, Museum of Contemporary Art et La Haye, Gemeentemuseum, The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985, novembre 1986-novembre 1987, p. 422 (illustré en couleur, p. 41, no. 22).
Londres, Royal Academy, Italian Art in the 20th Century: Painting and Sculpture, 1900-1988, janvier-avril 1989, p. 87, no. 8 (illustré en couleur).
Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, décembre 1999-septembre 2003 (prêt de longue durée).
Paris, Musée d'Orsay, Aux origines de l'abstraction, 1800-1914, novembre 2003-février 2004, p. 352, no. 45 (illustré en couleur).
Montréal, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Il Modo Italiano: Design et avant-garde en Italie au XXe siècle, mai-août 2006, p. 358, no. 16 (illustré en couleur, p. 151).
Special Notice
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Further Details
'IRIDESCENT COMPENETRATION - EUCALYPTUS'; SIGNED AND DATED LOWER LEFT; SIGNED, TITLED AND NUMBERED ON THE REVERSE; OIL ON CANVAS.
A masterpiece from Balla's series of abstract compositions, Compenetraziones Iridescentes, executed in 1912, this work from the Saint Laurent-Bergé collection is entitled Eucalyptus, after the artist's favourite tree which he could admire from his studio window. He focuses particularly on the leaves of the tree, which are thin, pointed and elongated, in several shades of green and yellow depending on which way you look at the surface: when the wind blows, the whole ensemble takes on a profusion of colours that seem to vibrate with vigorous energy. In this composition, constructed on the principle of formal repetition, the artist portrays the tree as if seen through a kaleidoscope. The leaves of the eucalyptus, aligned in head-to-tail fashion, appear to be viewed on both sides, offering up a colour palette that ranges from green to pale yellow, while the contrast created by the repetition of small blue and light pink triangles in the background intensifies the visual effect with the foliage jumping out of the canvas at the viewer like a dazzling fireball.
The idea of amplification was not new to the work of the Italian painter, who began his research into the expression of speed and movement in 1909. Nonetheless, the artist had never used such pure geometric elements to portray reality. An artificial and mental landscape, based on retinal experience, the painting reveals the analytical process of Balla and its uniqueness among his futurist contemporaries. With his works pushing the boundaries of the principles of futurism, in which the abandonment of tradition was the cornerstone, Balla would nevertheless return to a more traditional form of representation in the 1930s.
Sale Room Notice
Giovanni Lista, expert de l'oeuvre de Giacomo Balla, indique que cette oeuvre aurait été peinte après 1917-1918.
Giovanni Lista, expert of Giacomo Balla's work, indicates that this work could have been painted after 1917-1918.
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