The reason for this continuing story on Baj is the addition of his book on ANARCHISM
At the end of the decade, Baj publishes the Manifeste de Naples, which aims to launch the artistic avant-garde of the South, as in the Group 58. It gets together Lucio Del Pezzo, Luca (Luigi Castellano), Mario Persico. It belongs to this period Generals and the Lady, a series born froma fierce and sarcastic criticism against the power. In this video, the critics Luciano Caprile tells about their origin during the Enrico Baj exhibition from the matter to the 2010 figure.
His interest focuses on the mechanization and dehumanization of the society. Paintings-objects in which the characters are made of Lego little bricks and sculptures made out of Meccano pieces.
His desecrating attitude influenced even the sacred monsters of the artistic avant-garde such as Picasso. Baj would pay tribute to him through the farce of Les demoiselles d’Avignon and of Guernica with his ” d’après” (1969). To Seurat, Baj would dedicate the series Chez Seurat, in which La grande jatte becomes the simbol of a immobilized middle class.
In 1972 he produces his first work of news report and denunciation: the collage of I funerali dell’anarchico Pinelli. Madeout of crambling objectssuch as ribbons, cordons, clutters and bows, it symbilizes the anarchic railoader’s fall to the ground. It was inspired by I Funerali dell’Anarchico Galli by Carrà for its title. It will be exhibited in Milan only in 2000: its presentation to the audience was canceled due to public order reasons. Calabresi, chief of the police, got killed that same day.
Among the artworks inspired to the political situation it figures: Nixon Parade and Berluskaiser. The formerrepresents Nixon and Kissinger at the parade for the Columbus Day from a grotesque point of view. The latter represents Silvio Berlusconi’s conquer of the power with the elections in 1994.
At the end of the ’70s, Baj produced one of hi most arduous works: the Apocalipse, a collage developed on over 60 metres lenght for 4 metres height. It was composed by canvas, painted with an informal technique, and contours either painted or engraved into the wood.
The book is available at www.ftn-books.com
