Title: La ricerca dell'Uno
Technique: Photography
Year: 2009
Size: 70 x 100 cm
Unique print

La notte, le stelle, la luna

Ti bacio sui tuoi passi
come il granello di sabbia
che rotola tra i granelli
in caleidoscopio di forme
dentro e fuori, dentro e fuori,
dentro e fuori da bolle di luce
sotto un cielo intatto di stelle
che non cadono più,
giacché han deciso di non morire
per realizzare i desideri degli esseri umani.
Scopriranno un giorno gli uomini
che le lacrime di San Lorenzo sono risanate
e che il desiderio è un’accesa contemplazione,
che stuzzica lo scambio reciproco
tra l’essere e l’avere,
nella pace passionale del cielo azzurro,
che diventa notte illuminata dalle stelle
di lacrime che non cadono più
sulle onde delle maree della luna.
(Barbara Bertoncelli)

Critical text by Silvia Grassi Art Curator:
Barbara Bertoncelli, with her works “La ricerca dell'Uno” (2009) and “Tende” (2021), invites us on a sensory and intellectual journey where photography becomes a medium for exploring the boundary between reality and imagination, between perception and symbolism. Her images, accompanied by poems that amplify the evocative power of her visual compositions, establish a profound dialogue between visual and literary arts, opening up a reflection on the very essence of aesthetic experience.
In “La ricerca dell'Uno”, Bertoncelli captures the elusive, hypnotic movement of a figure enveloped in a spiral of light. The scene, suffused with shades of blue and violet, evokes a cosmic and transcendental dimension, heightened by the poetry accompanying the work. The verses speak of stars that no longer fall and of a desire that becomes contemplation, evoking a sense of suspension and eternity. The chromatic choices, dominated by cool tones and luminous glows, create a dreamlike atmosphere that resonates with the light-based experiments of artists like Olafur Eliasson, who has often explored the relationship between light, movement, and perception.
From a compositional perspective, the work stands out for its dynamism. The gesture of the human body, rendered almost ethereal through long exposure, dissolves into the spiral of light, suggesting the idea of a primordial unity where the individual merges with the universe. The photograph, while capturing a fragment of reality, transcends materiality, becoming a symbolic representation of humanity’s inner quest. Here, Bertoncelli seems to engage with the legacy of Symbolism, particularly with artists like Odilon Redon, who sought to depict the invisible through evocative forms in his paintings.
[...]
Despite their stylistic and thematic differences, “La ricerca dell'Uno” and “Tende” share a tension toward abstraction and the evocation of universal meanings. Both works serve as fragments of a broader discourse where the visible becomes a starting point for exploring the invisible. Light, color, and movement are the key elements Bertoncelli employs to construct a visual language that transcends the ordinary and evokes profound emotions.
The use of poetry as an integrative element further enriches this exploration, creating a synergy between words and images that recalls the Romantic tradition but with a contemporary sensibility. Like the visual poetry of the 1960s, text and image enhance one another, offering the viewer a multiplicity of interpretive layers.
Barbara Bertoncelli stands out for her ability to transform photography into a medium of poetic and philosophical exploration. Her works, though diverse in form and content, share a focus on the intimate and universal dimensions of human experience. In an era where photographic imagery is often reduced to immediate visual consumption, Bertoncelli invites us to pause, to contemplate, to seek what lies beyond the visible surface. “La ricerca dell'Uno” and “Tende” are thus not merely artworks but also instruments of reflection, capable of revealing the hidden essence of reality.