Ettore Spalletti (1940-2019) is one of the most important historical figures of
Minimalism in
Italy, also close to the circle of
Arte Povera artists. Since its very first beginning in the 1970s, the art of Spalletti focused around an in-depth study of color and its interaction with space. His paintings and sculptures, mainly three-dimensional monochrome works which reference the pink and blue landscapes of Abruzzo—the Italian region on the Adriatic where the artist has always lived and worked—were the outcome of a highly original, slow, and extremely methodical technique, often been referred to as meditative. Over a period lasting weeks, he applied dozens of layers of color onto wooden structures, with each layer being left to dry and then abraded to bring out the pigments in all their hues and brightness. The result of this meticulous process is a sort of skin that protects the work, while also creating a connection with the visitor, diffusing shades of color and light which vibrate in the surrounding space.
