Since Fulvio Gonella's teenage years, he has been enthralled by the realm of art brut, a domain where diverse perspectives craft distinct realities. His current paintings combine the tenets of this radical artistic movement with a highly gestural style reflective of street art, graffiti and graphic design, and folkloric imagery. The results combine ferocious visual energy with a whimsical, mysterious sensibility redolent with evocative imagery drawn from an abundant imagination.
Traditionally, art brut artists, in the words of Ian Chilvers, "create their works for their own use as a kind of private theatre," motivated by an endogenous psychodramatic drive. Gonella takes the dynamic a step further in that his works are created for the use of the viewer, as opposed to the artist; "Whispers in the Twilight" comprises a public theatre of sorts. The Italian artist's latest exhibit, and his first in the United States, introduces American art-lovers to a brand new set of visual strategies and aesthetic possibilities. Gonella's paintings have three essential aesthetic dynamics, which interact and overlap in ways that operate in a kind of symphony of unreality.
The first element in this visual carnival is the nearly aggressively crude and gestural signifiers that Gonella constructs. Using a salmagundi of paints and colors, liquids, crayons, oil stick, enamel and found materials — literally “mixed media” — Gonella populates his canvases with sketched-out outlines of stick figures with primitive faces, while objects are depicted in assertively flat renditions. To call the draftsmanship “childlike” is both nearly irresistible but also misnomenclature, for underneath Gonella’s primitive brushwork lies a sophisticated understanding of form and visual structure. As the critic Andrés Isaac Santana put it, Gonella’s “pieces do not respond to ignorance regarding an established cultural tradition or the absence of artistic training … on the contrary, he works from the most complete understanding of the artistic field and from a strict organization of ideas.”
Selected Work on Canvas
Selected Work on Paper
Polarized Focus
2021, Mixed media on paper, 100 x 70 cm
"As the artist behind "Polarized Focus," I invite you into a world where obsession and neglect collide. This piece is a personal reflection on the human condition, a visual representation of our tendency to pour all our energies into one pursuit, often at the expense of the richness that life has to offer. In this artwork, the central figure is a man engaged in the act of lifting a weight, a metaphor for the goals and ambitions we chase. His arm, disproportionately large and vividly orange, symbolizes the focus and strength we apply to our chosen endeavors. Yet, this same dedication can lead to an imbalance, depicted by his other arm, diminished to a mere line, a stark reminder of what we forsake in our singular pursuit. The palette of purples and blacks that envelop the figure might suggest the bruises and shadows of life's challenges, the parts of ourselves left in darkness when we fixate on a single point of light. "Polarized Focus" is more than an artwork; it is a narrative of caution and introspection. It beckons the viewer to consider the importance of a balanced life, where every aspect is nurtured and valued. Through this creation, I seek to inspire a dialogue about the nature of our focus and the consequences of our choices. It is a call to broaden our horizons, to embrace the complexity of our lives, and to find harmony in the way we live and perceive the world around us."
LINGER
"In this evocative artwork, a boy lies cocooned in the warmth of his bed, caught between the realms of wakefulness and inertia. His gaze is fixed upon the colossal coffee pot that hovers above him – a vessel of both comfort and anticipation. The boy's azure skin blends with the sheets, mirroring the hues of dawn. His tousled hair whispers of dreams yet unspoken. The room is a sanctuary, its walls painted in soft pastels, and the window reveals a hint of the world beyond. But it's the coffee pot that steals the scene. Its curves defy gravity, its spout poised to pour forth liquid warmth. The aroma fills the room, a siren call to consciousness. Yet, the boy lingers, reluctant to rise. For beyond the bed lies a situation – a confrontation, perhaps – that he'd rather postpone. The chaotic swirls around him echo his internal struggle. Reds and blues dance, representing urgency and hesitation. The coffee pot, a symbol of both solace and responsibility, hangs suspended. It's as if time itself waits for him to decide. In "Linger," we witness the delicate balance between comfort and consequence. The boy's inertia is a silent rebellion, a plea for a few more moments of respite. And so, he remains – caught in the liminal space between dreams and reality, where the coffee drips slowly, and life waits patiently."