Carlo Battaglia's 'Exercises in Perception' at Galleria Il Ponte

Carlo Battaglia (La Maddalena, 1933–2005), a leading figure of Analytical Painting, is the subject of a solo exhibition at Galleria Il Ponte in Florence. Despite his classification, Battaglia considered himself a painter of the sea—a surface that fascinated the Impressionists. He used the marine landscape as a pretext for analyzing pictorial language, preserving its ambiguity, illusion, and enchantment. The exhibition also hints at desert or forest landscapes, with works that envelop the viewer, inviting contemplation from multiple perspectives. Battaglia's pieces function as 'exercises in perception' and visual education, where color becomes a tool for understanding forms and landscapes. He expanded beyond color by incorporating nuances, oblique lines, and curves, which stimulate investigation of the surface and, consequently, reality. The show is reviewed by Niccolò Lucarelli.