Giulio Paolini. Senza titolo, 1961

What actually is a painting? Which material conditions and visual predisposition does its functioning depend on? Why do we interpret the object known as a “painting” to be the support for an “image”? These are just some of the issues Johannes Meinhardt raises starting from one of Giulio Paolini’s best-known works, Senza titolo (1961), which consists of a tin of paint placed on the lower edge of an empty stretcher and held down by a transparent plastic sheet.

By looking back at the art-historical debate that unfolded in around 1960 on painting and the concept of the painting as object, and via an accurate analysis of other works by the artist, Meinhardt succeeds in casting light on the originality of the assumptions developed by Paolini during the first five years of his activity.

The essay is enhanced by an original design (a concertina folded insert), specially created by the artist, and it constitutes the third volume of the “In collezione” series, dedicated to in-depth monographic studies on selected works of Giulio Paolini.