Art Criticism Title: Sommer Code: AC00S4 – Year: 2014, Switzerland Artist: Alessandro Cardamone Technique: Acrylic on canvas Style: Neo-Cubism / Contemporary Abstract Figuration ________________________________________ Formal Analysis The work Sommer stands out for its compositional vibrancy and its balance between energy and structure. The scene, dominated by a female figure in a reclining or contemplative pose, unfolds through a neo-cubist framework where forms are articulated in angled and fragmented planes, yet held together by a coherent design and a sunlit palette. Yellow, ochre, acidic greens, and turquoise tones merge into a vibrant chromatic harmony, evoking summer not only as a physical season but as an emotional state. Though geometrically deconstructed, the figure maintains visual centrality and a recognizable anatomy, outlined by sharp contours and volumes shaped through flat yet dynamic color fields. The entire composition revolves around a diagonal axis that guides the viewer's gaze, while the layered background, built from blocks of color, suggests a stylized natural scene—perhaps a garden, perhaps an abstract terrace. ________________________________________ Symbolism and Interpretation The title Sommer (summer, in German) suggests an atmosphere of openness, light, and inner expansion. However, the figure is not depicted in a carefree or narrative manner: her gaze turned elsewhere, her partially gathered body, and the oblique posture suggest a state suspended between relaxation and introspection. Cardamone’s summer is thus not merely a season of outward expression but also a time for listening and reflection. Decorative elements (floral forms, stylized masks, spirals) seem to emerge from memory, like recollections layered over the landscape, or symbolic visions enriching the pictorial space. The duality between body and environment—between figure and abstraction—translates into a balance between presence and dissolution, between affirmation and dream. ________________________________________ Influences In this work, Cardamone maintains his solid reference to the synthetic Cubism of Picasso and Gris, but broadens his exploration with elements of chromatic lyricism and symbolism. There is, in the atmospheric construction, an echo of the more decorative Post-Impressionism (Gauguin, Bonnard), mediated by a plastic simplification and graphic tension that are consistent hallmarks of the artist. The use of color—free yet calibrated—approaches, at times, the Central European Expressionist painting, particularly the more luminous works of Klee and the abstract-symbolic painting of Alexej von Jawlensky. The stylization of the bodies also recalls certain strands of contemporary figurative design from Central Europe. ________________________________________ Critical Evaluation Sommer is a work that impresses with its ability to evoke a seasonal emotion through rigorous construction and an erudite yet accessible painting style. The tension between geometry and painterly intuition resolves into a silent narrative, suspended between memory and vision. Cardamone demonstrates mastery of his medium and a mature visual language, evident in the controlled lightness of the color and the structural precision. The figure becomes a symbol of the summer feeling as a time of transition, of light and suspension. ________________________________________ Conclusion Sommer is a work that synthesizes light, form, and introspection, fitting perfectly within Alessandro Cardamone’s neo-cubist and symbolic path. With a brilliant yet never banal palette, and a figurative construction rich in meaning, the artist offers a vision of summer as a time of the soul—between sensory openness and inner reflection. A mature, delicate, and structurally intense piece that reaffirms the unmistakable personality of the artist within the landscape of contemporary abstract figuration. ________________________________________ Exhibition Note This work, exhibited in numerous European countries, is part of the collection hosted by the Hong Art Museum in Chongqing, China, from November 2023 to March 2024. ________________________________________ Critical text written for artistic documentation purposes Basel, 2025