Federico De Leonardis: From Engineer to Artist

Federico De Leonardis (La Spezia, 1938) turned to art at age 40 after training as an engineer and architect. His practice focuses on objects as carriers of history, rendered visually. He describes his 'Tagliatelle' series—black charcoal marks on Japanese paper drawn with his left hand in the absence of thought—as the 'reverse' of traditional painting, based on the dimensions of his standing body. His works often involve found objects, such as 'Coni d’Ombra' (piles of used quarry tools) and 'cuscini' (quarry instruments), which retain the energy of past violence. De Leonardis emphasizes a collaborative, directorial approach, contrasting with the solitary artist myth. He rejects art fairs and sterile spaces, preferring sites with history. He identifies with Baroque spatial dynamism, citing Borromini, and feels closer to Gordon Matta-Clark than Joseph Beuys, though he acknowledges Beuys's influence. He critiques Fabio Mauri as more radical than Beuys in focusing on art as language. De Leonardis aims to 'empty' rather than fill, decontextualizing existing objects. He considers himself an architect practicing through art, stating, 'I am an architect, I do it in the only way possible today: through art!'