Art Criticism Title: Seaport Code: AC003B Year: 2001, Switzerland Artist: Alessandro Cardamone Technique: Acrylic on canvas Style: Neo-Cubism / Contemporary Abstract Figuration ________________________________________ Formal Analysis Seaport presents itself as a composition of strong structural force and atmospheric suggestion, in which the maritime environment is transfigured into an abstract, fragmented visual language. Cardamone constructs a complex scene where port architecture, boats, and human figures dissolve into deconstructed geometric modules, following the canons of an evolved and highly personal form of neo-Cubism. The painted surface is organized into overlapping and interwoven planes, where vertical volumes—cranes, pylons, masts—contrast with unstable horizontals—docks, the sea, piers—creating a continuous visual tension. Though stylized, the forms remain legible, suggesting the presence of a lively, populated, yet intimate port. Color plays a crucial role: cool tones such as blue, steel gray, and light blue alternate with warm inserts—reddish oranges, ochres, and intense yellows—that suggest lighthouses, artificial lights, or sunlight reflecting off metallic and water surfaces. The acrylic application is vibrant, with flat color fields animated by subtle internal variations that provide depth. The composition moves along diagonal and vertical axes, creating a dynamic, almost musical effect that evokes the constant flow of ships, waves, and port activity. ________________________________________ Symbolism and Interpretation In Seaport, the theme is not simply the urban-maritime landscape, but rather that of transit, passage, and the threshold between worlds. The port—historically a symbolic site of arrivals and departures—is represented here as a metaphor for the contemporary human condition: mobility, transformation, uncertainty. The absence of visible human figures suggests their integration into the very structure of the port, implying an identification between the individual and the urban space. The sea-city becomes a living body, a symbolic machine, a psychic labyrinth. Every architectural element becomes a sign, a trace, a fragment of memory. The title itself—Seaport—emphasizes the evocative nature of the work: not a specific harbor, but a mental place, a universal “non-place” that exists outside of time and geographical precision. It is an interior landscape built from visual memories, dreams, and cultural fragments. ________________________________________ Influences Cardamone continues to rework, in a personal key, the legacies of Synthetic Cubism (Picasso, Braque) and urban Constructivism, while integrating influences from South American muralism and contemporary abstract graphic art. The reference to Paul Klee is evident in the poetic geometries and the ability to turn architecture into a narrative element. The synthesis between figuration and abstraction also recalls some outcomes of plastic Futurism and urban Metaphysical painting. Compared to other works by Cardamone, Seaport stands out for its more choral, architectural, and boldly structural approach, expanding the artist’s research toward a less intimate and more relational vision. ________________________________________ Critical Evaluation Seaport is an ambitious work, combining structural complexity and conceptual depth. Cardamone demonstrates full control over compositional dynamics, along with a remarkable evocative capacity. While his stylistic signature remains clearly recognizable, here it is enriched with an urban and almost social tone, broadening the expressive range of his pictorial language. Strengths: • The balance between abstraction and recognizability. • The structural intelligence of the composition. • The symbolic value of the urban landscape as a space of the psyche. ________________________________________ Conclusion Seaport (AC003B) marks a significant stage in Alessandro Cardamone’s artistic journey: a work that attests to the maturity of his pictorial language and his openness to new collective themes, without losing the symbolic depth and plastic refinement that have always distinguished his work. It is a piece that speaks of space and time, of places and people, of what passes and what remains—a mental and visual port where anyone may find traces of their own existential voyage. ________________________________________ 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 prepared for artistic documentation purposes – Basel 2025