La Madre 1961

Curator: The heavy, almost oppressive, palette here gives me pause. Editor: Indeed. What you’re reacting to, I think, is the overall tonality Cassinari achieves in "La Madre," from 1961, utilizing oil paints. The umber and crimson resonate strongly with that period, particularly in Europe, shadowed by postwar anxieties. Curator: And, note how he confines figuration—a standing woman holding prayer beads—within a geometric framework that feels like a cage. It's compelling, structurally. The lines both define and imprison. Editor: I see it more as raw texture and emotive materiality. Notice how Cassinari loads the paint, trowelling and scraping it to give that claustrophobic sensation you noted? This wasn't detached artmaking, but a very physical process. The layering of those materials contributes just as much as line to that oppressive atmosphere. The cost of such an image on the psyche and his materials should also be of note here. Curator: Agreed, there's undeniable tactility, and the loaded brushstrokes fracture the image’s surface, creating depth. This layering complicates any simplistic reading of "motherhood;" consider the interplay between red and black, hinting at internal conflict. Is this a matriarch or a martyr? Editor: Possibly both. Let’s consider what "mother" signified in Italy during this time—both reverence and restriction were assigned to women’s bodies and labour. Cassinari uses his materials almost violently, pushing against traditional boundaries, abstracting figuration to confront the viewer. Curator: Your focus on material and method certainly casts light on this work, offering new perspectives. Editor: And your acute formalism elucidates the work’s internal tensions. Hopefully, together we’ve shed some light on this rich work of Cassinari’s.