Gianni Testa - Horses

The depiction of animals in art has ancient origins, even appearing in primitive cave paintings. For religious reasons, various types of animals appear in the works of various ancient civilizations. It was especially in the Middle Ages, within the International Gothic style, that animal depictions became widespread as true life portraits, both within works of art and in notebooks of drawings and sketches. The presence of animals as subjects in art remained constant until the contemporary era. Much of the artist Gianni Testa's work has focused on research into the figure of the horse. A noble animal, a symbol of beauty and harmony, the horse has repeatedly been a prominent subject in the history of art. Since the fourteenth century, its presence has always been obligatory in battle scenes or equestrian monuments, and for painters, depicting it with anatomical precision and naturalistic rendering has always been a challenge.

Inspired by his favorite subject, the horse, Gianni Testa's works are characterized by an almost exaggerated dynamism, as demonstrated by this bas-relief, whose composition mirrors the artist's pictorial oeuvre. The vigorous movement and strength of the animals translate into an expressionist fervor that transforms the entire composition into a whirlwind of curvilinear rhythms. Formally, the dynamism is also enhanced through a modeling that makes the horses' forms vibrant, despite their marked plasticity. Finally, the space of the work itself is distinguished by a strong sculptural colorism, with the background almost rough-hewn by a deliberately crude technique that gives the bas-relief greater expressiveness.

Gianni Testa is an artist born in Rome in 1936, where he still lives and works. Throughout his career, he has participated several times in the Rome Biennale, the Rome Quadrennial, and the Milan Triennale. He has exhibited his work in numerous shows in Italy and abroad (Germany, Basel, New York, Philadelphia). He has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Lifetime Achievement Award presented by Vittorio Sgarbi. In 2014, he was the subject of a retrospective exhibition at the Complesso del Vittoriano in Rome, presented by Claudio Strinati.

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