Acrilico N 12

Bice Lazzari’s Abstract Alchemy: The Luminous Geometry of Acrilico N 12

Among Bice Lazzari’s late-career abstractions, Acrilico N 12 (1976) stands as a quiet revelation—a canvas where geometry dissolves into light. Created when the artist was in her seventies, the work distills decades of experimentation into a composition of floating planes and modulated color. Unlike the dense, gestural abstractions of her earlier years, this acrylic painting embraces a sparse, almost architectural clarity. The interplay of muted ochres, soft blues, and chalky whites reflects Lazzari’s shift toward what she called “silent painting,” a practice rooted in Venetian tradition yet radically modern in its restraint.

The painting’s title, Acrilico N 12, underscores its place in a numbered series—a methodical approach that belies its organic visual rhythm. Lazzari, who began her career in the 1920s under the influence of Futurism before turning to abstraction, had by the 1970s refined a language of fragmented forms that hover between representation and pure abstraction. As noted in Tate’s overview of her work, her late paintings often “explore the tension between structure and dissolution,” a quality palpable in the delicate equilibrium of Acrilico N 12. The artwork’s 30×40 cm dimensions further concentrate its impact, inviting close observation of its layered surfaces and subtle textural variations.

From Futurism to Silence: Lazzari’s Path to Abstraction

Bice Lazzari’s trajectory from Futurist associate to abstract pioneer mirrors the broader shifts in 20th-century Italian art. Born in Venice in 1900, she initially aligned with the avant-garde movements of the 1920s, exhibiting alongside figures like Giorgio de Chirico. Yet by the 1950s, her work had shed overt dynamism for a more contemplative approach, influenced by her relocation to Rome and her immersion in the city’s post-war abstract scene. The 1970s marked her most radical period, where paintings like Acrilico N 12 abandoned narrative entirely in favor of chromatic and spatial exploration.

This phase coincided with her participation in the 1976 Venice Biennale, where her work was celebrated for its “lyrical minimalism”—a term that captures the essence of Acrilico N 12. Unlike the bold primary colors of her earlier abstractions, the 1976 series embraces a palette of aged whites and earthy tones, reflecting her fascination with the patina of time. The painting’s composition, with its overlapping rectangular forms, also nods to her background in textile design, where precision and repetition were paramount. Yet here, those elements dissolve into something far more evanescent.

Acrilico N 12 is not a rejection of geometry but its transcendence—where shapes become vessels for light, and structure serves only to frame the intangible.

The Making of Acrilico N 12: Technique and Materiality

Layered Surfaces and Subtle Texture

Lazzari’s method for Acrilico N 12 involved building up thin glazes of acrylic paint, allowing underlying layers to remain partially visible. This technique, akin to watercolor but with greater opacity, creates a sense of depth that belies the painting’s modest scale. The artist often worked on unprimed canvas or paper, letting the raw surface interact with the pigment—a choice that lends the finished work a tactile vulnerability. In this piece, the central ochre rectangle appears almost translucent, its edges softening into the surrounding whites and blues.

Chromatic Harmony and Spatial Ambiguity

The painting’s color palette—dominated by off-whites, pale blues, and muted terracotta—was mixed with extreme precision. Lazzari avoided pre-mixed colors, instead blending pigments directly on the canvas to achieve subtle gradations. The result is a composition where forms seem to advance and recede simultaneously, defying fixed spatial logic. The blue-gray rectangle at the lower left, for instance, reads variously as shadow, reflection, or independent plane, depending on the viewer’s focus. This ambiguity was central to Lazzari’s late style, which sought to “disorient gently,” as she once described her aim.

Styling Acrilico N 12: A Curator’s Guide to Display

At 30×40 cm (12×16"), this framed print commands attention without overwhelming a room. Its neutral palette makes it remarkably versatile: in a modernist interior, it pairs effortlessly with warm wood tones and linen textiles, while in a more traditional setting, it offers a contemporary counterpoint to antique furnishings. For maximum impact, hang it at eye level in a narrow hallway or above a console table, where its horizontal orientation can anchor the space. The painting’s muted blues also harmonize with deep navy or sage green walls, creating a sophisticated monochromatic effect.

Avoid overly busy surroundings; Acrilico N 12 thrives in environments where its quiet complexity can be savored. In a living room, position it opposite a window to catch natural light, which will accentuate the layered glazes. For collectors assembling a group of Lazzari works, this piece serves as a unifying centerpiece—its restrained palette allows it to bridge her earlier, more vibrant abstractions and her later, nearly monochromatic canvases.

More Works by Bice Lazzari

Explore the evolution of Lazzari’s abstract language through these key pieces from her career.

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