Nature Morte à la Fourchette 1957

Mario Avati made this mysterious mezzotint, "Nature Morte à la Fourchette", and it’s really something. The velvety blacks and grays create a quiet drama – a still life that feels anything but still! I imagine Avati, in his studio, meticulously working on the plate, maybe going back and forth between the objects and the metal. The fork, casually laid out, intersects with the stemmed glasses, and then there’s the dice—a curious detail, adding an element of chance. What does it all mean? There is such an intensity to the monochromatic palette – it reminds me a little of Giorgio Morandi’s quiet compositions, but with a surreal twist, perhaps a nod to de Chirico? The texture is amazing; the way the light catches the curves of the glasses. It makes me think about the conversations artists have across time and place, echoing and answering each other's explorations. This work is all about seeing, feeling, and thinking. There's a riddle here, and that’s what makes it so alive.