The emergence of abstract art in Italy after World War II was an especially dramatic break with tradition considering that centuries of representational art had defined not just Italian culture, but the entire history of art, trough Italy’s influence. Angela Cacciamani works in the tradition of this rupture, especially in direction spearheaded by the pioneering artist Alberto Burri, who employed simple, found materials such as burlap and tar in his paintings.
She was born in Spoleto (PG). She graduated from the Institute masterful in the same city. She began to paint since young girl. Since 1987 she exhibited landscapes and still lives type expressionist, moving later to surrealism, cubism and abstract.
Her paintings and sculptures are gutsy and dramatic. The work is so physical and appears to be centered on the materials, yet each is a kind of ballad, a love song, to the earth, and to the human need to overcome our mere, embodiment.
The materials that she uses for her works are: cloth, glue, clay, kaolin, enamels, acrylic, and, wood, tar, stones, wood chips.
Cacciamani’s painting and sculpture echo Burri’s work in three important ways: In the colors she selects, especially, bold reds, black, and earth tones; in her fascination with fissures and cracking and unevenly joined materials; and in her ability to give life to materials that were disposed or disregarded. Marvelously, Cacciamani consistently demonstrates the ongoing relevance and flexibility of Italy’s 65-year-old abstract art movement which BTW, predates American Abstract Expressionism.
As seen in (title Cretto nocciola), her work includes references to nature, even to ecology of preservation. This work is pure texture, with gouged lines contrasting with shapes, filled in. It can also be read as a stand of small trees, with distinct trunks and shared root system a metaphor for individuals who share resources in community.
The successful, energetic composition (composizione di sacchi), includes a direct reference to Burri, through the use of burlap. It is a thoroughly contemporary piece, though. The gestural red and black marks contrast dramatically with the cool, digital image of an architectural site a picture actually “framed” with Burri’s classic hemp-y material. Past and present are balanced in this capable artist’s hands.
Cacciamani demonstrates particular eloquence in recent pieces incorporating wood slats, shavings, and swatches of fabric covered in black. The contrast between brown wood, constructive material that could form floorboards or painting frames, and the black background (The unmade? The unknown? The abyss?) is beautiful in an elemental way. The series seems to say: Every creation is an act of defiance against meaninglessness. With this willful gesture, the artist imbues her work with valor that elevates each composition.
Angela Cacciamani, is one of Italy’s most interesting abstract artist for reviving a great school of mixed media painting while infusing it with a sense of transcendent drama.
Eleanor Kennelly
She has written for Art & Auction, ARTnews, Metropolis magazine, and served as the art critic for The Washington Times