Untitled 1967

This is an untitled work by the Italian artist Turi Simeti, who was associated with the Zero movement, made of paint on canvas. The Zero artists were active in Europe beginning in the late 1950s and were interested in reducing painting to its bare essentials. Simeti's painting exemplifies this reductive approach. The forms are simple, in this case two ovals. There are only two colors used, black and a slightly lighter gray tone. Yet, the light seems to emanate from behind these simple oval forms. How does the artist manage to create this effect with simple materials? Simeti, who was born in Sicily, was part of a broader group of Italian artists in the post-war period who were re-thinking what art should be. They asked themselves: What should art look like after the horrors of World War II? Was there a way for art to be optimistic again? To understand this painting better, you might want to examine the magazines and journals where the Zero artists promoted their ideas. The answers will always be contingent on historical context.