La Spina, Nunzio E (1900-1988)

Very little is known about this artist born in Palermo, Sicily, who immigrated to the US in 1914 and became a citizen in 1936. Among his known works are a 1931 self-portrait, “Lady Justice Among Figures” (1932), “Portrait of Lillian” (1934), and “Pieta” (1949). In 1942 La Spina painted a FAP ceiling mural for the Psychiatric Wing of Bellevue Hospital, NYC. He published a book entitled Clouds and Dust in 1975.

Works in the New Deal Collection at GVCA by Nunzio La Spina:

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Flower Study
Flower Study

This composition occupies a sort of uncanny valley in painting: its vase and flowers use one regime of three-dimensionality; its plant stand uses a different regime, or perhaps the same from a different vantage point. No viewing point can make those two cohere. La Spina’s still life is not cubist in its treatment of space, yet results in an object not simply floating in space, but tethered to another perspective. Compare the aesthetic here to his more traditional “October Bouqet.”

October Bouquet
October Bouquet

A side table, situated at the corner of two walls, displays a cobalt-blue vase filled with profuse blooms and fall foliage. Blue, cross-hatched walls and the table’s gray tone harmonize with the bouquet’s primarily pink and rose tones. The painting’s drama comes via light from upper right that is reflected upon the vase, sets apart its floral blooms from the background, and modulates the walls different tones. Compare the aesthetic here to his more experimental “Flower Study.”

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