#giacommetti

Annette, 1961

Alberto Giacometti - Contextual

(10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman and print maker.

Giacometti’s studied the the human condition and focused on heads that seem to ‘emerge from nothingness, appearing alone and isolated in space.’ - darkened and skull like - these figures where often painted at night in artificial light. he’s also known for his reduced colour palette.

Giacometti often used the familiar face of his brother Diego. this study, and continuous reworking of the image became an ‘object of investigation and discovery for the artist, who commented ‘When he poses for me I don’t recognise him’.’ ( it is strange and interesting how the familiar can transform into something completely unfamiliar.)

There seems to be a distinct lack of connection in his paintings, the subject looks far away and isolated.

“The poetic mood of the studio''s space is replaced by a forthright confrontation with a presence that dominates the space in front of the canvas.'' - David Sylvester

“I have often felt in front of living beings, above all in front of human heads, the sense of a space-atmosphere which immediately surrounds these beings, penetrates them, is already the being itself.” - Giacometti(Quoted in Sylvester 1994, p.34.)