MILAN.- A arte Invernizzi gallery opened a solo exhibition of works by Niele Toroni, a pivotal figure on the international art scene. From 1967, Toroni stood out for his unique approach with his repeated application of brushstrokes using a no. 50 brush, placed precisely 30 cm apart. For Toroni, painting was always a means of conversing with space - neither occupying it, nor asserting dominance over it, but instead, tracing and revealing possible trajectories through the progression of his brush marks, always different but spaced at regular and orderly intervals. The exhibition offers a comprehensive overview of Niele Toroni’s artistic career, with 25 works in various formats and using different materials - including canvas, paper, newspaper, oilcloth, and wood. Beginning with Omaggio a Paolo Uccello (1965) through to the recent album Impronte di pennello n.50 a intervalli di 30 cm “A nous la liberté”, where the brushstrokes appear in various colours, progressing across individual sheets with up to four impressions each, occupying the surface in nuanced sequences.
On the upper floor of the gallery, works on paper, foam board, and canvas from the early 1970s through to the 1990s are exhibited. The works, which enter into a dynamic relationship with their surroundings, are placed in relation with Recuperation, a work of 1971, consisting of three shaped wooden panels each bearing three brush impressions, which invite the viewer to follow their rhythm. Next to this, two works of 1989, Impronte di pennello n. 50 a intervalli di 30 cm, connect Toroni’s minimalist brushstrokes to the images and texts of two Japanese newspaper sheets.
The second room on the upper floor presents a historical work on free canvas from 1978, a work on paper from 2011 and 4 impronte di pennello n. 50 a intervalli di 30 cm “Dire non basta, si deve vederla la pittura” (2011), where repeated brush marks on cardboard sheets affixed to the wall reconfigure the wall’s coordinates through their rhythmic sequence.
On the lower floor, large-scale works from the late 1990s and the 2000s reveal how the outcomes of Toroni’s interventions evolve not only in response to spatial and conceptual forms but also within the pieces themselves, with variations in the intensity and colour of each impression. Among the works is a door, on the surface of which Toroni worked in 2007, the year when, for his solo exhibition, he created the permanent work that can be seen on the entrance door of the gallery. Two works from 2011 can also be seen on the walls of the lower floor.
The viewer’s eyes are thus invited to perceive the space as a dynamic field, where forms create a sense of the physical, opening up new spatial dimensions that enter into a dialogue with the architectural and structural features of the gallery.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a bilingual catalogue with an essay by Paolo Bolpagni and reproductions of the works on display.
