ASSUNTA CASSA 1st edition - June 2017 graphics: Giuseppe Bacci / Daniele Primavera photography: Emanuele Santori translations: Angela Arnone printed by Fastedit - Acquaviva Picena (AP) e-mail: [email protected] website: www.assuntacassa.it Assunta Cassa beyond the horizon edited by Giuseppe Bacci foreward by Giuseppe Marrone critical texts by Rossella Frollà, Anna Soricaro, Giuseppe Bacci 4 - Assunta Cassa - Beyond the horizon The Quest of Assunta Cassa for Delight and Dynamic Beauty Giuseppe Marrone Sensuality, movement, technique whose gesture, form and that rears up when least expected, reaching the apex and trac- matter are scented with the carnal thrill of dance it conveys, ing out perceptual geometries that perhaps no one thought compelling it on the eye, calling out to it and enticing the viewer, could be experimented. the recipient of the work who is dazed by an emotion stronger The art of Assunta Cassa has something primal in its emotional than delighted connection, and feels the inner turmoil triggered factor, no one should miss the thrill of experiencing her works by the virtuous explosions of colour and matter. The subject, in person, absorbing some of that passion, which enters the the dance, the movement, the steps that shift continuous exist- mind first and then sinks deeper into the spheres of perception. ence, igniting a split second and fixing it forever on the canvas. Sensuality and love, tenderness and passion, move with and Dynamic eroticism, rising yet immobile, fast, uncontrollable in in the dancing figures, which surprise with their natural seeking mind and in passion, able to erupt in a flash and unleash the of pleasure in the gesture, the beauty of producing a human fiercest emotion, the sheer giddiness of the most intense per- movement, again with sheer spontaneity, finding the refined ception. Observing the work of Assunta Cassa is like a return to aesthetic sense in the eroticism of the dance. The unwritten original sin, emotionally speaking, a experience of deep sensual pleasure is impossible not to express: it is sought, deliberately immersion in the colour whirlwind and pulsating movements of imprinted with colour so that the recipient of the opus may be the figures, but also of a space that participates and fills the no- drawn into this sense of beauty flowing across the skin of one man’s-land of this probing, gratifying pursuit of beauty. who has managed to impose the normality of a woman expe- Beauty is experienced in the purity of its emotions, but also riencing emotions for the eroticism of the dance, in keeping almost impetuously, like the soft and sensual touch of skin, pre- with a sense that has to do with the impossible taste of being cisely for the ease with which it is sensed. Gentle sentiment wordless before the beauty of life. The beauty of life, the joy of and erotic trait together, speaking the same language of ex- life, however, do not always win: melancholy is sometimes a pression, chasing each other, fusing together, attacking one tangible note in some works, but again naturally. Every age of another, and managing to talk thanks to the emotional world life must be experienced, and painter Assunta Cassa shows a Assunta Cassa - Beyond the horizon - 5 depth and awareness that every moment must be faced and incredibly successful method for making us feel this, regardless lived with a unique emotional perspective, linked to the vital of whether we have experienced the emotion or occurrence, act that is innate to painting. Now it becomes impossible not but it is a journey that persuades us to cross the no-man’s-land to appreciate the opus in which the subject is not only dance between body and mind, perceptions and emotions, mind and and joyous vitality, but also the constant quest for meaning that heart, fusion and quest in this perpetual pursuit, like two danc- accompanies and must accompany very minute of a truly au- ers who look at each other as they dance. thentic existence, whether joyful or not. Cassa is a complete painter and before that she is a woman who has a developed sense of her own life and pictorial quest. Perceiving the nuances that pulsating emotions drive across her work is like feeling a shiver that travels up the spine to the head, from the eyes – the instrument of perception – that feed the entire body with a strong, discreet sensuality. Technically everything addresses this research, the use of matter that ap- pears and then rarefies itself with deliberate or unconscious desire, to the use of the palette, a purposeful chromatic range sought with the gentle energy of conveying something that arrives promptly and brings delight. This is an aesthetic fact of great depth. No research should exclude the artist’s own awareness of being a medium acting through their art. When the subject is broken down into precise points, Cassa does so in her sense of exploration and there is the power to give a meaning to be found in the geometric attempt to rationalize this complete inner flow that arrives at the boundless outcome of departure, where a train is the existentiell image of opportu- nity. We cannot know with precision what Assunta Cassa feels when she paints a train, but perhaps it invokes and crystal- lizes a chance, an opportunity, an ongoing investigation, first existentiell – daily – and then existential, the overall meaning of life. Were she to accelerate the dynamism when she disassembles, when she imposes a perceptual pace, when she arranges a chromatic order, it would not be a rhetorical but a spontaneous and natural process. It may seem obvious, at this point, but talking about emotions, passions and life is not obvious and there is no process for doing so. Assunta Cassa has her own 6 - Assunta Cassa - Beyond the horizon The Mighty Soul of Colours Rossella Frollà The most striking aspect of this artist’s work is her use of iri- of overwhelming energy, an inexplicable force that goes beyond descent pixels filled with faces, movement, landscapes of the the painting and the eye, and already becomes a threshold on soul just explored by Tango. We are ensnared by a closed loop this side of a dilated horizon. The figures dance amid the move- of passion while all around it flows naturally. The boundaries of ments of the world and the tango sends a shiver up the spine, shadow and the red light that swallows everything else are inten- another aspect of the source, life that gathers us until the very sified. The oxymoron becomes a weightless step, the quick re- end where the red rose is held by fingers that skim over lips. surgence of a memory and infinite momentum over time, in plac- Exploding passions plunder hearts, one facing the other, and es peopled by contrasts of red, purple and black, the circus and the artist’s rich emotions follow the moving bodies and tenacious the theatre, and city suburbs. There is something that leaves the light, overseen by solemn stillness. This strong, pleasing trait black to give form and life to colours as if they were offspring car- erupts from the core and collects every act of the performance. ried in every womb. The red swirls across lips, beseeching them. The choir turns and looks to us, meets our eyes, our something The day traces wonder and passion on bodies, a complete else, which in formless black acquires deep essence, rising from place where the identity of the wounded is lost and we open the bottom to the top, and a firm, light hand wields the spatula our arms to the frail and human act of an embrace. Everything in lively palette choices. supports the lightness of the bodies and there it is, the soul, un- der the colours, its being showing us our own. Standing there, in an emotion of mine ready to be born. Everything was there: swift, moving sight, the soft touch of light in the intense, free exploration of things. Everything is received like a fresh mounting Assunta Cassa - Beyond the horizon - 7 Symphonies of Energy Anna Soricaro Assunta Cassa places her figures in urban landscapes, dancing, in everyday poses of kissing couples, or women with defiant eyes. The technique and the tones steal the scene before the figures, rendering unique the finished work of a sensitive, inno- vative and sparkling artist. Bright colours contrasting with black absorb light and intrigue the observer, fascinated by the dazzling glow. An uncommon figuration and from a distance the stroke appears abstract, while up close it declares its greatness. A self-effacing hand uses intense tones and small, precise strokes to speak of passions, daily life and underlying emotions. The figuration is a challenge to overcome and Cassa succeeds very well, a magnificent way to speak through memories, intimacy and emotions; the shades are an instinct to manage, a feisty explosion that will engage the viewer. A figuration seeking to grasp the meaning of life through unusual works, with a sensual feel alternating moments of a tango with women portrayed from behind: with great skill the spatula dances in the artist’s hand, composing a symphony that will leave the observer speechless from the first movement to the finale. 8 - Assunta Cassa - Beyond the horizon For the Sake of Dreams: the Pixel Paradigm in the Art of Assunta Cassa Giuseppe Bacci The artistic research Assunta Cassa has pursued thus far con- Cassa’s signature style, representing a real oxymoron with re- stitutes a carousel of works and ideas so rich in colour and nu- gard to the events of her artistic research.