Michelangelo Pistoletto is an Italian artist working in the mediums of painting, object art and sculpture. He is often recognized as the godfather of the Arte Povera movement, an Italian art movement founded in the late 1960s  which used throwaway material to make art for the people

The Documentary

The documentary delves into Pistoletto’s evolution and emergence as an artist, from his early days as a studying creative to his current status as a respected creative force. The documentary touches on Pistoletto’s epiphany which he was painting a self-portrait of himself, the moment he noticed art was in his words “the freest someone could be.” This moment felt like the pivotal moment in his life as well as the moment the entire documentary hinged around, taking Pistoletto from the man rolling newspaper through the streets, to the man creating the mirror paintings.

The film took a while to explain the genius behind his mirror paintings, which from the film grasped as his most important artwork. Their interpretation of having the viewer be apart of the artwork really opened my eyes to the beauty of them, even more, when I went to go see them in person over the weekend.  This also helped me further understand Arte Povera as I was now literally part of the art, talk about art for the people.

The Talk

I found the talk extremely interesting. Pistoletto and the Scientist shared interesting similarities between their works that I had never even thought to make before entering the room. I particularly enjoyed the scientist explaining the beauty found in a particle he had created, something that to a non-scientific eye could never equate to beauty. Their continued back and forth on how different concepts of their works overlapped was very interesting and I certainly saw more of the art in science. Pistoletto also surprised me by calling his art phenomenological, which wasn’t just a word I was surprised to hear but one that perfectly explained his work; especially his mirror paintings.

What did I think?

I found Pistoletto’s work and the talk very interesting. It gives a new perspective to the piece now adorned on top of the ADM building and I will have a new found respect for it during my stay