Italo Scanga
Saints Glass

 

Italo Scanga exhibited handsomely-framed reproductions of religious paintings—bleeding martyrs and sacred hearts—spattered with red paint, and mounted near the floor so that the viewer had to kneel to examine the paintings closely. In front of the paintings, he placed glass urns, which contained spices or grains and leaned farming implements against the wall, which were muted; for example, the tines of a rake were braided with straw. In the rear of the gallery, the artist hung large bunches of dried herbs.

Excerpted from Brentano, R., & Savitt, M. (1981). 112 Workshop, 112 Greene Street: History, artists & artworks. New York: New York University Press.