Enrico Della Torre

Italian Artist Enrico Della Torre explores the boundaries of pictorial language in his work. Seeking a sense of candour through the careful manipulation of material and movement, Della Torre’s work strikes a balance between spontaneous gesture and preconceived structure. Often choosing to intervene in precisely the areas which he deems most successful, or which he best understands, the artist intentionally leaves the elements where doubt or uncertainty arise. Thus, a dialectic is formed in his work between expressive calligraphic lines and minimalist planes of black graphite.

Through a process of what he terms workshop archaeology, Della Torre incorporates fragments of discarded or unfinished paintings in his work. The sewn offcuts cast light and shadows across the canvas, generating new compositional spaces, lines and organic forms. This element of chance or accident allows for a sense of playfulness, irony and self-critique to form an active part of the artist’s creative process as abstract surfaces give way to distinct silhouettes.

The pieces invite the spectator to think about the elements that a painting can contain, what the limits of painterly language are, and what happens when this language, reduced to a minimum, undergoes a process of cutting, combining and rediscovering.

Enrico Della Torre's painting practice plants its roots into the tradition of painting and

suggests a dialogue with his personal systematic questioning of the established

discourses, and with the unabashed reflection upon the modus operandi for contemporary painting.