Arte Povera, Oxford online

Referentie:

Oxford University Press (2007 — 2013). Arte Povera, laatst geraadpleegd op 27 maart 2013, http://www.oxfordartonline.com:80/subscriber/article/grove/art/T004357

Plaatskenmerk: Internet website Oxford Art Online

Extract:

'Term coined by the Genoese critic Germano Celant in 1967 for a group of Italian artists who, from the late 1960s, attempted to break down the ‘dichotomy between art and life’ (Celant: Flash Art, 1967), mainly through the creation of happenings and sculptures made from everyday materials. Such an attitude was opposed to the conventional role of art merely to reflect reality.'

'The Arte Povera artists did not restrict themselves to allusions to Western civilization; from 1968, for example, mario Merz made igloos (e.g. Double Igloo; see also ), referring to nomadic societies, which he admired particularly for being flexible and well adapted to their environments. He himself emulated these qualities in the ease with which he built the igloos from a wide range of both technological and ‘natural’ materials, including metal, glass, neon, slate, wax, earth and wood. This eclecticism in fact emphasized the essential difference between homogeneous traditional cultures and pluralistic modern ones.'

'A more active interference with nature was achieved by giuseppe Penone: in The Tree Will Continue to Grow Except at This Point (1968; see 1978 exh. cat., p. 33), an iron impression of Penone’s fist was fitted around the trunk of a sapling so as to affect but not prevent the tree’s growth.' 

Creatieve commentaar:

Arte Povera is Italiaans voor arme of nederige kunst. Kunstenaars die gerekend worden tot deze stroming gebruikten zowel armoedig materiaal als takken, vodden en aarde als marmer, goud en zijde. Het gebruiken van 'arme' materialen vind ik erg interessant. 
Dit is het tegenover gestelde van Bijvoorbeeld Christo en Jeanne claude. Hun projecten kosten een vermogen.