Vertically running lines, each completed by a small head at the upper end, come together to form a vibrant ensemble. Fausto Melotti deliberately breaks with the implied principles of structure and order by not setting the lines strictly geometrically, but by playful deviating from the vertical. The alternation of light and dark lines creates a rhythm that is reminiscent of an abstract score. At the same time, a poetic note resonates in the delicate structure. The colour scheme looks harmonious: Melotti concentrates entirely on the non-colours black and white, which appear unobtrusive and subtle, but develop a special visual power in their various nuances as they unfold in irregular structures on plaster.
The tension of this work, which results from the contrasts between line and surface, geometric and organic, austerity and lightness, reflect Melotti's multifaceted talent: he was not only an artist and musically accomplished, but had studied physics, mathematics and technical engineering. This combination of science and the arts becomes apparent in his works. Melotti's versatile approach is likewise revealed in the range of media and materials he used. In addition to poems, paintings and a comprehensive body of drawings, his oeuvre includes ceramics, reliefs and other sculptures. Melotti always expressed topics of human existence and the human condition in his art. The sensitivity of the present work, which belongs to his late oeuvre, is also visible in his sculptures.
Melotti is considered an important representative of abstraction in Italy. He was a contemporary and friend of Lucio Fontana, with whom, in the 1930s, he joined the "Abstraction-Création", an artists' association founded in Paris. He received various prizes for his work, which attracted special attention in his later decades. In 1986, the year of his death, Melotti was posthumously awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale.
