Arte Povera - materials affect the creative process
The materials artists use contributes to the context and form of the piece. The material of the work will be conspicuous and shift how the audience will perceive it. The importance of materials is one of the most fundamental aspects of art. In the 1960s and 70s Arte Povera, an art movement made up of Italian artists, wanted to reinforce this. I believe materials affect the creative process. Arte Povera was a movement against the modernisms of art at the time, in particular the minimalistic style with clean lines and anonymous surfaces. The Arte Povera artists wanted to hit mainstream art with raw materials, displaying confrontation yet still having that transgression of elegance and primal processes. often working with industrial leftovers such as construction grade steel, unfinished wood, glass, stone, soil, rags, twigs and dirt, they accomplish their goal with the most basic materials they could find. They made art in response to the cultural times, believing that the absence of material will play a role in losing the sense of importance in the work. The literal meaning of Arte Povera means ‘poor art’, however this is not a reflection of their work ‘but the word poor here refers to the movement’s signature exploration of a wide range of materials beyond the traditional ones of oil paint on canvas, bronze, or carved marble.’ With collective works the artists of the Arte Povera movement made a name for themselves, emerging from urban cultural activity. Their aim was to challenge commercialised contemporary gallery systems, by disrupting the value with found, thrown away or discarded materials. They wanted art shown that had no restraints or control like traditional materials artists use.

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