Pioneer of the arte povera movement who created spectacular sculptures out of mundane objectsJannis Kounellis, who has died aged 80, made a highly distinctive contribution to one of the most provocative artistic movements in postwar Europe. As a pioneer of arte povera in the late 1960s, he created spectacular sculptures out of `poor`, mundane objects - pieces of wood, coal, sacking, steel and lead, arranged in startling juxtapositions on gallery walls or piled unceremoniously on the floor. In this way the materials´ different physical qualities and functional associations were emphasised to strengthen their viewers´ perception of everyday reality.This old-fashioned faith in the life-enhancing powers of art was accompanied by a preoccupation with Europe´s ancient heritage, obscured as it was by the confusion of contemporary society. Consequently, in contrast to their `poorer` companions, some of Kounellis´s installations had gold surfaces, influenced by Byzantine art, or, after the mid-70s, classical fragments - plaster heads blindfolded or punctured with gas flames. As he himself put it, the artist is always `engaged in a permanent dialogue with the culture of the past`, even if this does not reflect particularly well on the present. Continue reading...
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