Pietre Paesine: When Nature Becomes Art at Siena's Accademia dei Fisiocritici

At the Accademia dei Fisiocritici in Siena, the exhibition 'Pietre paesine: quando la natura diventa arte' features around 150 stones from Mario Piccolo's collection, sourced from the mouth of the Rio Fiume in Lazio. Known as 'pietre paesine' or 'ruiniform' stones, these specimens exhibit natural designs that mimic landscapes, abstract forms, or even the works of Paul Klee, resulting from iron oxide infiltration in ancient calcareous sediments disrupted by tectonic activity. Historically, these stones have adorned furniture and altars in Siena Cathedral since the 16th century and served as supports for oil paintings, a technique highlighted in the recent 'Meraviglia senza tempo' exhibition at Galleria Borghese. The Siena display, however, presents them as ready-mades with minimal human involvement, drawing criticism for its lack of innovation and adherence to a traditional Wunderkammer format. Two cases contain stones with figurative imagery, each labeled as art, prompting suggestions to further individualize each stone with geological context. The exhibition prompts important discussions about authorship and curation amidst the rise of generative AI and non-human influence.