Cosmoses Compared: Fabro and Kiefer (two- and three-year courses)

Focus areas

• History of Art
• Astronomy
• Philosophy

Activities

This session compares how two artists, Luciano Fabro (1936–2007) and Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945], adopt different visual languages, materials and perspectives when dealing with the concept of the cosmos. In some of Fabro’s works – such as La Luna (The Moon),, Il Sole (The Sun),, Eclissi di cielo (Sky Eclipse),, È la vita è la storia è la morale (It is Life, It is History, It is Morals) and Il giorno mi pesa sulla notte IV (Day Weighs Upon My Night IV)– the sky and celestial phenomena become tools for exploring light and shade, balance and gravity, individual time and collective history. In Kiefer’s The Seven Heavenly Palaces 2004–2015, cosmic imagery weaves together Jewish mysticism, alchemy, memory and historical ruins.

Through direct observation, image comparisons and a selection of key words, the students will analyse how both artists translate the cosmos into spatial experiences. Working in small groups, the class will identify similarities and differences in scale, materials, and interactions with the viewer’s body, as well as links between the celestial world, life and history. The final part of the session will encourage an interdisciplinary reflection on how art can give visual form to the cosmos across different eras, traditions and artistic sensibilities.