CARLO SCARPA (1906-1978) 'CRESCITA', A GEOMETRIC SCULPTURE, DESIGNED CIRCA 1968
executed by Zanon, milled steel, gold leaf
23 ¼ in. (59 cm.) high
signed c. scarpa 1
CARLO SCARPA (1906-1978) 'CRESCITA', A GEOMETRIC SCULPTURE, DESIGNED CIRCA 1968
executed by Zanon, milled steel, gold leaf
23 ¼ in. (59 cm.) high
signed c. scarpa 1
Carlo Scarpa designed numerous installations for the Venice Biennale between the years of 1948 and 1972. He designed the interior of the Italian Pavilion in the years 1962, 1964, 1966 and 1968. Of great note was his installation of the Fontana room of 1966 and its cubic pedestals supporting Fontana’s sinuous sculptures.
For the 1968 Italian pavilion, Scarpa designed a room called `Ambiente’. To be observed from a balcony surrounding the room, the installation included amongst other works, his iron sculpture `Crescita’, partially gild and supported on a metal plinth. Subsequently, Scarpa designed another version (present model) in a natural steel color with small gilded prism-like inserts to the internal corners.
The sculpture is mounted on a slightly turned vertical rod, supported by a steel base allowing a circular movement of the entire body. While turning the sculpture, the light reflecting from the complex geometric surface creates a pulsing effect around the elliptical circular movement.
`Crescita’ is a great representation of Scarpa’s preoccupation with space, form and material, all related to questions of infinity, reflection, symmetry and perspective - ideas similar to the explorations of the Dutch graphic designer Maurits Cornelis Escher.
The execution of these sculptures, all done by the Zanon brothers, are a tour de force in metal work. Not wanting to show any soldering lines, the body of the sculpture is composed of two parts. When placed together, a final cube on one side is connected with a metal rod and placed throughout the two-part body. Pushed through to the end, another cube is screwed to the metal rod. The two points are then heated to a “white-hot” temperature. When the metal cools down, the rods shrink and fuse the two parts of the body securely.
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