Silk-screen Printing by Roberto Crippa - Spiral

Artist: Roberto Crippa (1921-1972)

Gaetano known as Roberto Crippa was born in Monza in 1921. After starting to paint in 1945, in a figurative style with cubist influences close to Picasso's style, he joined the spatialist movement. He graduated in art in 1947/1948 at the Brera Academy and the following year participated in the Venice Biennale and the Milan Triennale. Again in 1950, 1954 and 1956 he was present at the Biennale and again in 1950 he exhibited in Trieste during a collective exhibition entitled Spatial Art. Following his friendship with Lucio Fontana, he was one of the signatories of the third "Manifesto of Spatialism" (Proposal for a regulation) of 1950. In 1951 he also participated in the "Manifesto of Space Art". In line with the principles of the spatialist "Manifesto", his works of the early 1950s centered around a series of paintings called Spirals, of a geometric and abstract nature. Having also become known abroad for his works, Crippa reached New York, where he met the surrealists Max Ernst, Victor Brauner and Yves Tanguy, and exhibited at the Alexander Iolas gallery. Between 1954 and 1956 the Spirals changed, becoming heavier, more incisive and convoluted, and were defined as Totems. From 1955 he moved on to the production of multi-material works, which populated a personal exhibition at the Galleria del Naviglio in Milan. In 1958 he participated in the Venice Biennale with a series of multi-material works in iron, bronze and steel inspired by primitive symbolism. With these works he participated in the 1958 Biennial. The use of original materials in 1960 resulted in the production of works in asbestos, cork, newspaper and tissue paper, combined with different materials and colors. The works were exhibited in a traveling exhibition that reached Japan, the United States and Australia. Crippa was also an aerobatics enthusiast: in 1962 he was the victim of a flight accident, which forced him into a wheelchair, in which he remained for almost a year; despite this, he participated with his paintings in various exhibitions in Europe and the United States. In this phase Crippa moved on to paint landscapes (Landscape), with the multi-material technique and with the usual abstract style. Also from this period are the amiantites, non-paintings made with thin sheets of asbestos applied to an engraved board. In 1971 he was invited as the Italian representative to the World Aerobatics Championships, but in 1972, during a flight in preparation for the event, he crashed near Bresso airport, losing his life together with his student Piero Crespi.

Age: Contemporary

Contemporary

Subject: Abstract Composition

Artistic technique: Multiple Print

Technical specification: Screen Printing