Matteo Fato's 'Specchi angelici' Installed in Abruzzo National Park
In 2019, Matteo Fato, an Italian artist born in 1979 in Pescara, unveiled 'Specchi angelici' (Angel Mirrors) within the Parco Nazionale di Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, Italy's inaugural national park, founded in 1923. This installation comprises three vacant birch wood easels positioned on a hillside in the Coppo del principe beech forest, historically a Savoy royal hunting ground for Marsican brown bears. Having previously explored the easel concept in his 2011 work 'Osservando la Parola,' Fato regards this as his ultimate investigation into the theme. Philosopher Gianni Garrera noted that the vacant easels act as reflections for larks. Fato remarked, "Sometimes the act of not creating is more important than creating," encouraging contemplation on the significance of painting in life.
Key facts
- Matteo Fato (born 1979, Pescara) created 'Specchi angelici' for Arteparco 2019.
- The installation is located in Parco Nazionale di Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, Italy's first national park (established 1923).
- The site is the Coppo del principe beech forest, a former Savoy royal hunting reserve for Marsican brown bears.
- The work consists of three empty birch wood easels positioned to frame land and sky, surrounded by wild thistles.
- The title references patristic tradition: angels use human art as mirrors to perceive creation.
- Gianni Garrera, a philosopher and Kierkegaard translator, contributed a philosophical reflection on the work.
- Fato previously used the easel motif in 2011 at Casa di Raffaello, Urbino, for 'Osservando la Parola'.
- The artist states this is his final use of the easel concept; the triple form references earlier iterations.
Entities
Artists
- Matteo Fato
- Gianni Garrera
- Giorgia Basili
- Benedetto Croce
- Raffaello Sanzio
Institutions
- Arteparco
- Parco Nazionale di Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
- Casa di Raffaello
- Artribune
Locations
- Pescara
- Italy
- Urbino
- Coppo del principe
- Parco Nazionale di Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise
- Abruzzo
- Lazio
- Molise