Tappeti stesi, 1985
oil on panel
650 × 400 cm
(published in Catalogue Raisonné vol. 1 p. 668)
The Tappeti Stesi transform the room into a spectacular Moroccan souk. They represent one of Mondino’s best-known cycles of painting-objects, begun in the 1980s and taken forward until the end of the following decade.
Travels in the Orient were always a major source of inspiration for the artist, both for subjects and for experimentation with new materials. In a bazaar in Tangier, on the ground he finds a piece of Eraclit – an industrial construction material – which with his “myopic eyes” he mistakes for an old carpet. As often happened, precisely his shortcomings in terms of sight, which he cherishes because they slightly alter his perception of reality, lead to the astonishing idea of painting carpets on simple chipboard.
As in a trompe-l'œil Mondino changes the way of seeing things and their function. Thus by using this material he conveys his vision of reality in which the image is multiple, paradoxical, deceptive. The pattern of the rugged, raw material becomes an amazing simulation of a noble oriental carpet.
650 × 400 cm
(published in Catalogue Raisonné vol. 1 p. 668)
The Tappeti Stesi transform the room into a spectacular Moroccan souk. They represent one of Mondino’s best-known cycles of painting-objects, begun in the 1980s and taken forward until the end of the following decade.
Travels in the Orient were always a major source of inspiration for the artist, both for subjects and for experimentation with new materials. In a bazaar in Tangier, on the ground he finds a piece of Eraclit – an industrial construction material – which with his “myopic eyes” he mistakes for an old carpet. As often happened, precisely his shortcomings in terms of sight, which he cherishes because they slightly alter his perception of reality, lead to the astonishing idea of painting carpets on simple chipboard.
As in a trompe-l'œil Mondino changes the way of seeing things and their function. Thus by using this material he conveys his vision of reality in which the image is multiple, paradoxical, deceptive. The pattern of the rugged, raw material becomes an amazing simulation of a noble oriental carpet.
EXHIBITIONS
«Aldo Mondino. Moderno, postmoderno, contemporaneo», Museo d'arte contemporanea Villa Croce, Palazzo della Meridiana; installazioni site-specific: Palazzo Ducale, Palazzo Rosso, Palazzo Bianco, Palazzo Reale, Casa di Colombo, Acquario di Genova, Genova (GE), curated by Ilaria Bonacossa, September 24 - November 27, 2016.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
V. Dehò (edited by), «Aldo Mondino Scultore», exhibition catalogue (Pietrasanta (LU), Piazza del Duomo e Chiesa di Sant'Agostino, September 12 - December 12, 2010), Allemandi & C., Torino, 2010, p. 29.
M. Meneguzzo (edited by), «Aldo Mondino. Tappeti stesi e appesi», exhibition catalogue (Firenze, Galleria Santo Ficara, April 13 - June 20, 2013), Carlo Cambi Editore, Firenze, 2013, p. 17.
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