Enrico Castellani's Writings Collected in New Abscondita Volume

A new book collecting the writings of Enrico Castellani (1930–2017) has been published by Abscondita, edited by Federico Sardella. Titled 'Scritti 1958–2012', the volume includes theoretical texts, private letters, and scattered reflections, offering scholars and critics a deeper understanding of the artist's work. The publication also features a personal essay by Marcello Carriero, who reflects on his earlier text 'Roba da chiodi' written for a 2006 exhibition at Studio Fontaine in Viterbo, which paired Castellani's works with photographs by Sabina Scapin. Carriero's essay explores the hidden structure behind Castellani's canvases, where nails driven into a grid on the reverse side create rhythmic surfaces of peaks and valleys. Castellani himself described this technique as 'a very minimal craftsmanship, the minimum necessary for the construction of a painting,' as quoted in a 1994 MLAC catalog. The book reveals how the nail, typically a support element, becomes the generative force of the artwork, inverting the semiotic relationship between visible and invisible. Carriero connects this to Victor Stoichita's concept of the 'inverted painting' in 17th-century Dutch art. The volume is part of Abscondita's series and is available for €22.