Lia Drei and Francesco Guerrieri on show at Palazzo Bonaccorsi
The exhibition 'Points of View Between Perception and Figure', can be visited in Macerata, until 3 May
Dedicated to Lia Drei and Francesco Guerrieri, central figures of 20th-century Italian art, the exhibition "Punti di vista tra percezione e figura", curated by Maria Dolores Picciau, is held in the temporary exhibition rooms of the Civic Museums of Palazzo Bonaccorsi, in Macerata. The exhibition represents an unmissable opportunity to immerse oneself in the history and artistic journey of these two artists, united not only in life, but also by a profound and shared vision of their work and constant research into the communicative potential of painting. The exhibition offers a privileged look at the crucial moments of their careers: from the foundation of the Experimental P group in 1963 to the reaffirmation of the figurative with the adhesion to Metapittura in the 1980s.
The core of their investigation lies in a rigorous analysis of visual perception, deeply influenced by Gestalt Psychology. Their priority was to establish an intersubjective language, based on the phenomenological efficacy and optical-perceptual impact of the work of art. The realist subject is never completely eliminated, but subjected to a formal transfiguration: Drei breaks it down into strict geometric structures, while Guerrieri translates it into rhythmic-musical sequences.
While sharing theoretical premises, the two artists develop parallel and distinctive methodologies. Guerrieri uses a serial module to generate potentially infinite combinatorial structures - the famous 'Continuities' - exploring strict order. Drei, on the other hand, employs the space-chromatic module as a tool for analysing the simultaneity of colour, combining analytical severity with the expressive power of emotion.
The exhibition features several masterpieces that mark the salient phases of their research. On display is Lia Drei's Cristallo trasgredito from 1972, the artist's books of the quadrilogy of the right triangle, which underline her attention to visual poetry, as well as some previously unpublished drawings that reveal her analytical process. Francesco Guerrieri, on the other hand, is represented by significant works such as two versions of Interno d'artista of different sizes, which testify to his adhesion to the Metapittura movement and his ability to combine formal rigour and figurative suggestions.
The exhibition also emphasises the intense and lasting connection with Macerata, a relationship that has its roots in 1979 with the participation of the two artists in the exhibition 'Verification between two decades'. Indeed, the capital of the Marche region played a decisive role in the critical and theoretical affirmation of their work. This exhibition stands in perfect historical and cultural continuity, offering a necessary and up-to-date re-reading of the contribution of the two masters more than forty years later.
