Composizione di oggetti meccanici

86. Composizione di oggetti meccanici  (Composition of mechanical objects), 1971, oil on canvas, cm 50 x 70

This horizontal work is emblematic of Catarsini’s technological pessimism. Here, the machine is no longer a tool, but a dominant presence that encompasses the human being. The scene is dominated by a large mechanical gear. A large cogwheel occupies the center, shifted slightly to the right. From the center of this wheel, two dark beams radiate, cutting across the canvas diagonally: one points toward the left edge, the other toward the left base, creating a sense of tension and division of space. The dominant color is a deep peacock hue (an intense blue-green), against which stand out brushstrokes of bright red that outline a circle placed at the bottom, at the center of the composition. Within the red circle, we find the human element, rendered with extreme drama: a face is portrayed in profile, facing to the right, and outlined by a white line that makes it emerge from the darkness.

One of the two dark beams crosses the face just above the nose, physically separating the upper half of the head from the lower half. It’s a face that conveys sad resignation. The lips are curled downward, the eye is half-closed, and the black eyebrow is furrowed. The back of the head appears blurred and almost fused with bolts and vertical red lines.

Meaning of the work: In this composition, Catarsini makes tangible the inadequacy of humanity in the face of a technology that has taken over. Humanity is no longer the driver of the machine, but a fragment of it, stuck between the gears, a silent witness to a world where technology has become the only true protagonist.