Alvaro Cattaneo (1938) - pavé

Series of bicycles represents one of the most iconic and admired themes in Alvaro Cattaneo's body of work. In these pieces, the artist moves away from the pure abstraction of the canvases you have in the photos to explore a figurative subject, while preserving his unmistakable tactile, material style.

Characteristics of the "Biciclette" series

The Theme of Shadow: Often the real protagonist is not the physical bicycle, but its projected shadow. Works like "Cognitive Diagram of a Bicycle" (1989) show the vehicle's shadow reflected on a cobbled paving, another recurring theme in Cattaneo.

Material Texture and Spatula: Even in this series, the artist uses the spatula to create thick, tactile surfaces. The contrast between the bicycle's light silhouette and the solidity of the surrounding ground enhances the sense of reality and memory.

Visual Language: While your paintings are characterized by vibrant colors and bold black outlines, the bicycles tend to use more tonal and nuanced shades, often with scales of grays or cool colors, to render the effect of lighting from above.

Meaning: Cattaneo's bicycles evoke a sense of waiting and everyday life. They often appear beside "portals" or "flowering windowsills." The works seem to be an evolution of this path, where the rigid structure of the cobblestones dissolves into the fluid, organic forms of pure abstraction.