Between 1962 and 1967, Roberto Pignataro presented a series of miniature abstractions across three exhibitions. He referred to these as “small-format paintings” (or collages), as the pieces could fit in anyone’s hand. What led him to adopt and embrace this curious small format? This article dives into the personal, practical, and artistic circumstances that may have shaped this unusual choice.
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1955. Cartoon by Roberto Pignataro
When trying to understand the origins of Pignataro’s small-format art, one seemingly unrelated factor first comes to mind: his background as a cartoon artist. Drawing was a hobby he enjoyed from a very young age and practiced throughout his life. He even had several comic strips published in local newspapers and magazines.
With this fact in mind, the act of composing within small spaces was all but a familiar experience for him. Once he became an abstract artist, cartoon-sized abstractions seems like a crossover he would be naturally inclined to explore.
1967. Roberto Pignataro at Galería Lirolay
The realities of being an independent artist in 1960s Buenos Aires should be considered as well. Art galleries were in high demand, commonly featuring multiple exhibitions at a time. This often resulted in limited wall space availability, especially during high-season months.
This becomes evident in this photo of his 1967 show at Galería Lirolay—a highly sought-after but otherwise small venue. Here, the artwork can be seen displayed in a narrow section between the gallery’s main hall and the back showroom. Small-format art may be the mechanism by which Pignataro overcame the constrictions such narrow conditions posed to artwork-viewer interactions.
1962. View of the room where Pignataro produced much of his artwork.
Another factor likely playing a role was that Pignataro never had a proper art studio–all the artwork he ever produced was made in the small apartments where he lived.
This posed real storage challenges, particularly in the 1960s when he was pushing two art shows per year. Alternating between large and small format exhibitions might have been the way he balanced artistic goals with the realities of limited art storage capacity.
Lastly, answers shall be found in the artistic proposition itself: a series of windows into deep, colorful mindscapes. Given the psychological nature of these abstractions, the small format may simply be a subterfuge Pignataro used to lure the viewer a step closer to the piece, favoring a less intimidating, more percipient artistic experience.
In the end, what leads any artist to do anything they do? That is probably the safest conclusion one can arrive at. My attempt to explain the inexplicable should be seen as nothing else but an opportunity to reveal a few facts and circumstances surrounding an artist’s life that would have otherwise remained untold.
About the Artist
Roberto Lucio Pignataro (1928–2008) was an Argentine abstract and informalist painter active in Buenos Aires between the 1950s and early 1980s. His work explored texture, material presence, and non-representational visual language across painting, collage, and assemblage.
Research Context
This article forms part of an ongoing archival project documenting exhibitions, press reception, and artistic activity surrounding Pignataro and the Buenos Aires art scene of the 1960s–1970s.
Topics Covered in This Article
Abstract perception in painting, psychological space in art, Roberto Pignataro abstraction, inner landscapes in non-representational art, Argentine abstract painting 1960s, viewer interpretation in abstract art, materiality and surface in painting, Informalist aesthetics, visual introspection in modern art, emotional response to abstraction