Creation and Destruction: Some Psychological Reflections in the Paintings of Gian Carlo Riccardi

The aim of this study is to analyse some paintings by the Italian, multimedia and avantgarde artist Gian Carlo Riccardi (1933-2015), in which the concept of creation and destruction, or rather, as Freud would say, Eros and the destructive drive, predominate at the same time. Our study will focus in particular on the execution of these works, leading to a kind of �creative destruction�. This work intends to show how Gian Carlo Riccardi uses heterogeneous and salvaged materials to create pictorial works in which contamination, manipulation and non-sense are the result of a creative action. The objects he uses, in fact, are of common and everyday use, promoted and reconverted to an artistic use thanks to the artist�s will. They take on a new life and a new aesthetic function, becoming bearers of further meanings. This research will attempt to show how the destructive act marks the birth of artistic creation in Riccardi�s works, which represent a sort of theatrical performance, in which the artist becomes a �theatrical painter�. The aim of this study is to investigate how destruction is converted into a creative act in Riccardi�s works.