Lot 47 D

The title of this artwork comes from a poem by the Russian poet Alexander Blok dated 1910.

The present work by Salvo from 1980 with the title ‘Chè solo nei riflessi dell’arte l’uomo vede l’incendio senza scampo della vita. A.B’ (‘For only in the reflections of art does man see the inescapable fire of life. A.B.’) clarifies the artist’s symbolic painting, which is always positioned in the field of tension between architecture and landscape. The work shows a surreal-looking building in the middle of an idyllic landscape, which stands out from the background in harmonious yet contrasting pastel tones. The Cubist tower and the natural, flowing forms of vegetation convey a tension between culture and nature, a central theme in Salvo’s oeuvre. Art historically, Salvo can be placed in the context of Transavanguardia, a movement that rejects the conceptual rigour of minimal and conceptual art and returns to expressive, figurative painting. Salvo shares the interest in the revival of past art historical traditions and processes these in his characteristic way. In his works, he succeeds in mediating between artistic trends and epochs and constantly rethinking art history.