The books and articles below constitute a bibliography of the sources used in the writing of this page. These also suggest some accessible resources for further research, especially ones that can be found and purchased via the internet.
paintings
Progression of Art
1940
Untitled
This untitled painting from 1940 reveals the influence of Giorgio di Chirico on Marca-Relli's early career as a painter. This strangely unpopulated square is strongly evocative of di Chirico's enigmatic imagery inspired by the architecture and melencholy atmosphere of Turin. The archway in the background indicate the scene is an imagined European city with its tilted perspective enhancing the flatness of the picture plane.
Oil on board - Private Collection
1953-54
Seated Figure
Seated Figure won Marca-Relli the prestigious Logan Medal of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1954. The composition was produced during a period in which the artist focused almost exclusively on interpretations of single figures using layered planes of collaged canvas. In these works, Marca-Relli sought to explore abstract form using "the architecture of the human figure" as a starting point for interchanges between light and dark, positive and negative space.
Oil and canvas on linen - The Art Institute of Chicago
1956
Trial
The interlocking biomorphic forms in Trial represent the increasing complexity of Marca-Relli's collage technique during the 1950s. The artist has deliberately obliterated any recognizable sections of human anatomy, yet the work suggests a myriad of jostling figures. This vast composition combines an extraordinary variety of overlapping shapes, textures and contrasts to create a sense of movement that was inspired in part by Paolo Uccello's monumental battle scenes.
Oil on canvas and collage - The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
1958
The Surge
In the late 1950s, Marca-Relli embarked on a series of works that were ambitious in their scale, complexity and color harmonies. With Surge, Marca-Relli abandoned his formerly subdued palette of off-white and ochre to introduce bold zones of color as a new formal element in his paintings. The jostling blue, red and yellow shapes that expand outwards from a tight mass at the centre of the canvas convey a sense of intense energy and movement.
Oil and collage on canvas - The Cleveland Museum of Art
1962
Cristobal (L-12-62)
Cristobal displays Marca-Relli's developing interest in new materials such as vinyl and plastic. Created in 1962, this composition abandons painterly lyricism and any reference to naturalistic forms for bold geometric planes. The nails that hold the work together are deliberately left exposed to lend it an industrial appearance that is meant to suggest "the side of a freighter" in transit.
Oil and collage on board - Private Collection
1967
Untitled A
Untitled A reveals Marca-Relli's continued desire to move beyond the gestures and materials traditionally associated with painting. This assemblage of planar, cut-out aluminum shapes reveals the artist's tendency towards formal reduction and simplicity in his later years. His experiments with metal came from his need to work with more resilient material than the canvas he had relied upon for previous collage work. This material introduced a new ambiguity regarding the artwork's definition as painting or sculpture.
Aluminum, painted aluminum and screws - Hirshorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Similar Art
Influences and Connections
Influences on Artist
Influenced by Artist
Artists
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![Henri Rousseau]()
Henri Rousseau -
![Pablo Picasso]()
Pablo Picasso -
![Georges Braque]()
Georges Braque -
![Giorgio de Chirico]()
Giorgio de Chirico ![Paolo Uccello]()
Paolo Uccello
Friends & Personal Connections
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![Jackson Pollock]()
Jackson Pollock -
![Franz Kline]()
Franz Kline -
![Philip Guston]()
Philip Guston ![Eleanor Ward]()
Eleanor Ward
Movements & Ideas
Useful Resources on Conrad Marca-Relli
Books
articles
video clips
