July 9, 2014 Once more- the Venice Biennale

With the burgeoning art scene here in Denver, I’ve gotten away from reporting on the 2013 Venice Biennale but there are still a couple of outstanding experiences to share.

Before leaving for Europe last fall, I had followed reviews of the Biennale in the New York Times and on BlouinArtInfo.  As I mentioned during earlier Biennale posts, many parts of the Biennale were located in palazzi, churches and other venues around Venice.  One show that consistently got rave reviews was Rudolph Stingel’s exhibit at Palazzo Grassi.  I was determined to see it.

Rudolph Stingel was allowed complete freedom to take over Palazzo Grassi for his exhibit.  I don’t have a photo of the palazzo but here’s what the scene looked like across the canal.

Stingel took an element from the design of an Oriental carpet and had miles of that detail reproduced in carpeting that covered every floor and wall of the palazzo of the massive two story structure. I wish I could also share with you the mesmerizing scent of all that new carpeting.  The atmosphere in the palazzo was one of peacefulness, reverence and silence because the carpets dulled all sound.  Also, because the the carpet design had been printed slightly out of focus, walking through the long carpeted corridors became very disorienting and dream-like.  Here are several photos of what the interior looked like.

Each room featured only one of Stingel’s paintings, all in shades of black, white and gray, a stunning contrast with the rich colors of the carpets.  The paintings were oil on linen despite looking metallic.  Some were quite abstract.  Others had religious themes.  Some paintings required close inspection because of the delicate surface treatments.

Detail of above painting

In others, he used an intriguing process to create an embossed effect.

Detail of above painting

The scope of what Stingel set out to do in this exhibit was truly daunting.  For a comprehensive account of this show, be sure to visit http://yatzer.com/rudolf-stingel-palazzo-grassi.