Enrico Baj (1924-2003) - Gli Amanti

\Artist: Enrico Baj (1924-2003)
Technique: Acquaforte acquatinta\Signature: Hand signed
Original very rare 4-plate aquatint etching by Enrico Baj, printed with press. The work was made in 1979, it is in perfect condition, and it has all the embossed stamps, in addition to the certificate of authenticity of the publisher in accordance with the law. The engraving has never been framed, it’s numbered and signed in pencil. In 1954 Baj and Jorn founded the Mouvement international pour une Bauhaus imaginiste. For Enrico Baj these were years of great reflection and intellectual exchange thanks to contacts with international artists such as Joe Colombo, Lucio Del Pezzo, Giò Pomodoro. His works are characterised by the use of collage and different materials, and they are always interpreted through a strong irony, a grotesque effect, an amused eye. To understand his style, it’s enough to look at his “specchi”, “mobili”, “meccani”, “dame”, “modificazioni”, “d’après”. The playful sense of his art then led to sarcastic protest and strong civil commitment through his “generali”, the “parate militari” of the sixties, and the three great works of the seventies: “I funerali dell’anarchico Pinelli” (1972) , “Nixon Parade” (1974) , and “L’Apocalisse” (1979) . From here on, his critique of contemporaneity became stronger and stronger, as you can see in “Epater le robot” (1983) , analysis of technological abuse, and in “I manichini” (1984-87) , where faceless figures were clear references to the “robotisation” of the human being. Later, with his works “Metamorfosi” and “Metafore” (1988) , he developed an imaginary dominated by kitsch, the only style that, according to the artist, could represent today’s culture.