Osvaldo Mariscotti

by Estelle Lovatt

Osvaldo Mariscotti has had a lengthy career as an artist. Starting several decades ago - as a teenager - he isn't new to art. But his art is 'new'. It is an up-to-the-minute type of abstract art. Yes, we know that abstract art calls for the obliteration of recognizable forms in place of rhythmic relationships mutual in form, line, and color, but still, an Osvaldo Mariscotti canvas is very different.

Informed and inspired by the exploration of principles between relationships connecting the idealistic analogies of Mondrian, Kandinsky, Duchamp and Cubo-Futurism, Osvaldo states, "I like the work of Klee and Xul Solar too. But I always make a concerted effort always to try to remain independent of other artists' views and forms of expression, in order to remain original in my work."

The central character in his canvas - an oddly shaped, black, entity - turns, floats and cartwheels across Mariscotti's painted micro-orb world, where - like a situation in which a new born child is moulded by its environment - a seemingly distant force helps bring together a certain order out of painterly anarchy. Under structures of beautiful, candy-floss hues, this is a world within a world that follows the second Commandment (You shall not make a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, in the earth beneath or in the water under the earth), in witnessing a physical explosion of existence, mindful of its inner core spirit. Pious in nature, it is bound with a living spirit, a faith filtering through the flow of the pigment, automatically and organically.

An innate dynamism succeeds on numerous levels. A sense of spatial orientation is executed through rotations of repetitive imagery filling the process of motion and transition. The mobility of these elements ensues to ensure the suggestion of the passing of time. As Mariscotti explained to me, "My work has always been concerned with the passage of time. Even in my early days the theme of time permeated my work. But I was more of a spectator of the work rather than the main character in it. It was a lack of satisfaction from not being involved in the work that led me to develop a style where I incorporated myself, directly." So, Mariscotti, himself, is the central black abstract shape, the leading protagonist. "In the works this black element represents change evolving as a result of its environment."

Mariscotti structures an interpretation and understanding of a world existing beyond the motif. Remaining independent from recognizable visual references allows, instead, a Genesis-like prophecy of reality, not a means to an end. The background colors are bright - closed - not enabling easy escape for the black form(s). Trapped in these scenes of colored collisions of hue - what I'd like to call colored 'incidents' because of their encounters - the primary forms embody both change and exchange; the follow a passage that we can see, trace and monitor across the picture plane, making you aware of life's energy, as a sensational friction, generated by vibrations of paint, underlying tension.

It is a very deep process and I wonder how the artist approaches his work. "My approach is very structured. Even before I put down the first line, I always have in my mind a very good idea of the structure of the project as well as the choice of colors and shapes." With that reference it would seem that preparatory studies inform his finished canvas and, yet, he adds, "In a way, most of the work happens in my head, where the work itself evolves for some time until I'm fully satisfied with the concept. The only thing that could change along the way, once I've actually started producing it on the canvas, is the exact shade of color."

I'm intrigued by his techniques, wondering what medium and technique works best for him. "I have generally favored the spatula over the more traditional paintbrush," he discloses, "which has allowed me to create precise textures that would otherwise be impossible to produce. In a way, I think of the spatula as a direct extension of my fingers. Aside from the spatula, my works also employ other materials: the brush is, in fact, used occasionally. As a way of intensifying motion in certain shapes, pen and ink also have a role. I always preferred oil paints to acrylics or watercolors. I like to work both with oils and collage. I use a kind of colors cardboard which adds volume to the canvas. A final element in many of my works has, ironically, been the lack of treatment of the canvas: most of the white space that permeates my works is in fact untreated canvas."

As an artist whose first works were depictions of realistic scenes, he says that the change to abstract art came about, "Very quickly! I realized that such a style limited me greatly. Indeed, my first incursions into abstract art were an attempt to look for an artistic form of representation that would satisfy me more fully. This quest shaped the evolution of my work since, and took me through different stylistic periods. I try not to mix the colors at all, restricting myself only to primary or secondary colors, in an effort to create a sense of collision between them. This confrontation of color is indeed one of the most gratifying and powerful sensations that I have been able to create in my work."

Now an American citizen, his background informs his work; he spent part of his childhood in Perugia, Italy, and then moved to Argentina, later graduating as a civil engineer. He has always been drawn to painting, but it was only in 1987 that he devoted himself actively to it, soon becoming broadly recognized by art critics in Argentina. Then he went to America. He relocated a few times, moving first from Miami to Boston, and then from Boston to New York, where he finally settled. See? He is moving, moving, moving just like his black character in his art. Privy to the New York artistic scene, he was approached by a New York gallery who offered him an exclusivity contract for five years. This sponsorship allowed him immediate citizenship in America - for extraordinary abilities. He now lives and works in New York City. "My background has been instrumental in the development of my art. I think that my structured and disciplined approach to a project is a natural corollary of my training as a civil engineer. And I see every work of art essentially as a mathematical equation that needs to balance to zero. And, much like in any equation, there are variables and operators, all of which interact to describe a certain relationship. The key for me as an artist is then to discover these variables and operators, and make sure that the equation indeed holds when the work is finished. This, though, is not just about symmetry, as works can still be balanced while not being symmetric." Feeling satisfied with his current style, he is more anxious than ever to show it. For the satisfaction that he derives from his work also results from its effect on other people. "I want people to see my work because I like to hear their feedback, their comments. I'm at a point where I am able to express exactly what I want to express."

Mariscotti, 146 West 57th Street New York. www.mariscottiart.com