Combustion

Both Combustion (1965) and White Crack (1971) employ intaglio printing as an instrument of plastic treatment of the paper support, simulating and reflecting the outcomes of the material transformation process pursued in Alberto Burri’s respective cycles, where sensitive materials allude to sufferings endured, renewing the pain by displaying the wounds on the surface, which create spatial patterns. In the case of Combustion, multiple plates are layered, while to reproduce the effect of the Cretto, a very thick paper is used. The Umbrian doctor dedicated himself to art as a means to exhibit and exorcise the traumatic experience of the World War II.