Unpainted
Unpainted is a series of large-format canvases dating from around the 1940s, originally created for scenographic purposes — likely intended as theatrical backdrops. Yet they ultimately remained unused and untouched, allowing the oil prime to dry and age over the decades. What images were these expansive canvases meant to hold? Which performances were cancelled, or never conceived, that left them forever blank? What does their unperformed first purpose say today - repurposed? And what future will they meet?
In the spring of 2022 I discovered the canvases in the stockroom of a historic fine arts shop in Bologna. The shop owner was able to infer their period of manufacture and original function by closely examining the type of primer, the cotton threads, and the weave (trama) of the fabric. Their sheer size suggested they were made specifically for stage design, to support painted scenes and theatrical backgrounds. He had set them aside long ago, considering them unsellable to most customers — but he recognized that they held a different kind of value.
Unpainted
oil-primed cotton canvas, acrylic
April 2022
Unpainted is a series of large-format canvases dating from around the 1940s, originally created for scenographic purposes — likely intended as theatrical backdrops. Yet they ultimately remained unused and untouched, allowing the oil prime imprimatura to dry and age over the decades. What images were these expansive canvases meant to hold? Which performances were cancelled, or never conceived, that left them forever blank? What does their unperformed first purpose say today - repurposed? And what future will they meet?
In the spring of 2022 I discovered the canvases in the stockroom of a historic fine arts shop in Bologna. The shop owner was able to infer their period of manufacture and original function by closely examining the type of primer, the cotton threads, and the weave (trama) of the fabric. Their sheer size suggested they were made specifically for stage design, to support painted scenes and theatrical backgrounds. He had set them aside long ago, considering them unsellable to most customers — but he recognized that they held a different kind of value.