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Mario Merz
1923, Milaan - 2003, Turin
Mario Merz
1923, Milaan - 2003, Turin
The work of Merz belongs to the Arte Povera movement. The name of this movement was used around 1968 for the title of several Italian exhibitions by related artists, and refers not to content but to the materials used in the works of art, such as coal, steel plates, rubber, sackcloth, neon and other anti-aesthetic materials that were easily obtainable. As they were not imbued with art-historical references, these materials functioned well as a medium for metaphors. The use of different materials in a single work of art meant that many Arte Povera works could express a contradiction between nature and culture.
In the installation ‘Lezione di anatomia’, two large metal tables support a frame with cotton stretched over it. On the canvas, one can make out the pastel contours of a body that has been cut open, showing organs such as the heart, lungs and intestines. A lit blue fluorescent tube sticks through the untreated canvas like a knife. The title of the work refers to the anatomical lesson, as portrayed by painters such as Rembrandt. Merz is concerned here with the symbolism and the vulnerability of life and death.
Merz’ fascination for the abundance and vitality of nature literally takes shape in the fruit and vegetables on the table ‘La natura è l’arte del numero’. The blue neon numbers refer to the series published by the mediaeval mathematician Fibonacci, and show Merz’ interest in development processes in nature at a more abstract level.
The museum has two works by Merz in its collection: ‘Lezione di anatomia’ (1976) and ‘La natura è l’arte del numero’ (1979).
Images
Collection Bonnefantenmuseum
La natura è l'arte del numero, 1976
Lezione di Anatomia, 1979
La natura è l'arte del numero, 1976
Lezione di Anatomia, 1979