Gillo Dorfles

 19/05/2015

Critical essay by Gillo Dorfles:

Among the most important and original forms of current thinking, we can not forget the great current of Japanese Zen for the aesthetic, for the philosophical doctrine, and for the achievements of many works of art. Of course, to get his head to a current so complex as that of Zen would need to know first of all the Japanese would be enough but some single words typical of Zen philosophy to tell us which particular originality exists in this current. I make just a few examples: that of "asobi", of "wabi-sabi", the "gnosis" of "Vijnana" to realize that these words correspond to situations completely aesthetic details for Zen. Of course, a comprehensive study of the topic would be impossible but what interests us today is that finally the great currents Far Eastern found a ready response in the West. Right now we got a chance to meet two artists who made their currents of Zenismo finding similarities in their works with those Far Eastern. Obviously this affinity is only partial, only marginal, however, there is no doubt that in these their works there are elements, for example the vacuum, the asymmetry, the particular dialectic that recall some of the real works Zen. So I would like above all to recall immediately the work of these two artists with whom I have had the opportunity to meet me and that I think are particularly interesting for what we said. This is the Piacenza Franca Franchi and Parmesan, who moved to Milan, Massimo Tosini. Both of these artists so far could be considered as belonging to a current that is close to the current informal US Pollock, Rauschenberg etc. but in fact the proximity to the Americans was only apparent because, instead, closely studying their works, we realize that they have some elements that are reminiscent of some works Zen. Here, for example in the case of "Franca Franchi" we are facing in the important crystal structures, transparent but also colored that are more than a simple sculpture because they also constitute a very special way to be opposite to the surrounding environment. Even in the case of "Maximum Tosini" we have a pretty dramatic example of these elements because the artist uses among other numerous items of paper and canvas color dark completely black on which is able to create with the footsteps of leaf ' some gold structures that can be considered decorative but in fact are real organic structures. So it works on Black is the works of crystal, more or less colorful, as are the works of our contemporary artists that wanted without having to refer to Zen have in a sense absorbed the spirit, and so have made within their means, of Western art, that kind of atmosphere that usually belongs only to the art of the Far East.

Gillo Dorfles (Trieste, 1910-Milano, 2018)