Carlo Alfano (1932-1990)

Executed in 1969, Tempi prospettici
(Perspective Times) is a captivating
example of Carlo Alfano’s innovative
optical-kinetic style. Having initially
worked in the vein of Abstract
Expressionism and Art Informel, in the
1960s Alfano turned to a more conceptual
approach: interested in the temporal and
philosophical dimensions of experiencing
a work of art, he incorporated actual
devices of refection and refection into
works like Tempi prospettici. Shaped like
an arch or portal, the work is painted in
solid black; scintillas of red and geometric
arrays of black and of-white shape
create various perspectival roads inward,
while a bright, vertical oblong of white
paint dominates the right-hand side
of the composition. Cylinders of clear
and metallic acrylic protrude in three
dimensions from the work’s surface,
casting shadows and scattering light
across the fat paint behind, or distorting
what surrounds them in their own
reflective surfaces. Static pictorial illusion
is transcended, and Alfano offers a new
way of looking at time and space in art.