At Milan “Remo Bianco. The imprints of memory“

In the Milan of the economic boom, in an atmosphere which was both culturally and economi- cally productive, the young Remo Bianco meets and spends time with the great painter Filippo de Pisis and his entourage. His life will be that of a “solitary researcher”, as he defined himself, always ready to experiment new ideas, the fruits of his fervid fantasy. This capacity of inventing and following new roads made of him a very peculiar artist for those years, capable of proposing new perspectives, with an amused attitude and always careful with materials used and with expressive intuitions.

 

Between the end of the Forties and beginning of the Fifties the first Imprints make their appear- ance; plaster casts, pressed carton or rubber obtained by the imprints left for example by a car on the asphalt, or by traces left by common objects, such as toys or tools. The artist’s purpose is to recover “the most humble things which usually end up being lost”, as expressed in the Manifesto dell’Arte Improntale (Imprint Art Manifesto) of 1956. The beginning of the Fifties is also the period of the Sacchettini – Testimonianze (Little plastic bags – Witnesses), the assembly of objects of little value – coins, seashells, small toys, fragments – and putting them in plastic sachets attached to pieces of wood in a regular layout and hung as a traditional painting.

The first Tableaux Dorés come on the scene in 1957 and these works constitute one of the most popular cycles of the artist as well as the most long lasting. The two color background, worked with oil or varnish on which the gold leaves are arranged, results in a white part near primary colors. Others have a monochrome background or they are made with straw or cloth.

The Talking paintings, exhibited for the first time in 1974, are canvasses which in some cases are in plain white or black cotton and in others impressed with photographs, on the back of which are placed amplifiers. As the spectator approaches, the amplifiers are activated and emit sounds or phrases registered by the artist. The most well known is “Excuse me sir….” where Bianco’s self portrait is shown with his finger pointing, an image already used in 1965 when, during a personal exhibition at the Naviglio Gallery, the photo appeared on all the trams of Milan so as to engage the entire community. The inclusion of a human voice represents the attempt to go beyond the traditional dimension of a painting. The theme is the need to create a dialogue with the public, transforming the canvas not in a theater of representation but in a place where one can listen, above all a place of reminiscence, a focal point for most of the artist’s career.