Enzo Stella

Excerpt from the 2024 catalog – In 2020, I decided to analyze my artistic journey by questioning whether my painting activity was consistent with my thoughts. I felt the need to propose a new language that would unfold between my artistic origins and a new perspectival dimension. Similarly, I needed to provide a new key of interpretation, identifying my works with an authentic and personal style. In abstract art, color, due to its intrinsic qualities, is one of the primary visual elements that elicit an emotional and psychological experience in the viewer’s mind, as well as create contrasts and harmonies within a work of art. Therefore, communicating solely through its use has always been my main objective. On the other hand, the range of color is unlimited, with its essential ability to vibrate, its transparency, reflections, and changing qualities, its reaction to light, and its naturalistic evocation. Focusing my interest exclusively on the exploration of color as the main form of expression required the use of a technique that allowed me to apply it in large washes, even on supports of various sizes. Given its remarkable fluidity, the infinite multiplicity of color points, the high concentration of pigments combined with undeniable purity, the use of inks has allowed me to preserve the intensity and depth of colors, as well as the formal characteristic of each individual stain. Moreover, the coloring matter does not form layers due to its liquidity; it dries quickly and segments into both brilliant and matte areas, blending with the surrounding zones. The surface of the paintings is made of a laminated panel, which is rigid and allows me to tilt or rotate the support in various ways, creating colored shapes of different cuts and sizes that overlap in a harmonious manner. The first application of color is decisive and determined by an instinctive, unreflective approach, almost guided by an expressive urgency: the inks are poured onto the surface, allowing the colors to naturally blend, creating unique atmospheres and unexpected tonal extensions, absolutely incredible. Only after achieving a composition that satisfies a general harmony do I enter a phase that I call “decantation.” I hang the painting on the wall to rework it and later recognize it as a representation of my spirit. During this period of study, reflection, and contemplation, interventions are limited to the application of glazes and, when necessary, the correction of the washes using acrylic mediums, attempting to maintain its spontaneity. In the third and final phase, I focus my attention on the details that define the final appearance of the composition. In this case, I often make use of calligraphic and geometric principles, marks that are often traces of my primordial interest in architectural drawing. Enzo Stella stands out for his artistic approach that prioritizes experimentation and research, but his relentless pursuit of spontaneity and direct expression sometimes risks lacking a solid conceptual foundation. While his evolution, particularly with the “Alchrome” series, highlights technical mastery in controlling color and the play of chromatic blends, his tendency to be guided by chance and the unpredictability of results may seem like an escape from planning and conscious reflection. His works sometimes appear suspended between the desire for immediate expression and the need for formal order that would make them more accessible and communicative. The instinctive approach that dominates the initial phase, where the color freely blends on the canvas, seems to collide with the subsequent adjustments made with acrylic mediums and geometric marks, which seem to impose structure on spontaneity. This continuous oscillation between emotional gesture and technical reflection can appear unresolved, preventing the works from achieving a defined stylistic completeness. In a sense, Stella’s art seems to forgo a conscious project to embrace chance, but while this choice is interesting, it can cause the works to lose depth and communicative intensity, remaining anchored in a fragile balance between pure emotion and formal construction. If the artist’s intent is to celebrate unpredictability, a greater integration of reflection and control could be beneficial to give his creations more visual and conceptual strength.