Richard Laurenzi [2], the founding member of IAVANET [3] as well as the curator of “Lavori Su Carta [4]” has put together a wonderful collection of pieces that demonstrate exactly what the title of the exhibition suggests: works on paper. It may seem like a fairly simple concept but there is a rich history behind the use of paper in the art world that is not acknowledged as often as it should be. 

All the way back to the Italian Renaissance [5], the ingenious Michelangelo [6] would sketch on paper just as a study for future paintings or sculptures that called for more expensive materials. It wasn’t until later on that people understood the value of those sketches and realized that works on paper were capable of standing alone as complete pieces.

“Lavori Su Carta” explores this theme and shows how artists use paper not only to develop their visual ideas but to use the material itself as the base for original and unique works of art. Artists also cleverly utilize paper as a way to reproduce their work in large quantities so that it can be made readily available to art buyers at a much more affordable price. 

Starting Monday, January 23rd Casa Italiana is featuring a wide range of pieces which include preliminary drawings for paintings and sculptures, where visitors have the opportunity to get a glimpse inside the mind of the artists and understand the thought process behind the piece alongside the final product. The exhibition also presents one-of-a-kind works in a variety of media as well as reproduced works in the form of prints, book illustrations, and photographs. 

All the pieces on display were created by members of the Italian-American Visual Artists’ Network whose mission is “to promote and make visible the work of contemporary Italian-American visual artists encompassing a full range of expression from pure abstraction to depictions of the Italian-American experience.”

The network consists of painters, sculptors, designers, graphic artists, photographers, as well as installation artists. This core group hopes to promote communication with Italian artists, organize IAVANET exhibitions in Italy, welcome Italian artists to New York, establish a mentoring program and open a studio facility in Italy.

Any art lover should stop by the beautiful Casa Italiana [7] location to take a look at this refreshing exhibition. The show will be running from Monday to Friday from 10AM to 5PM for the next three weeks and is sure to fulfill everyone’s particular tastes in art.