In Nigro's case, drawing was a condensation and transfer of human energy, a rhythm of life transformed into existence, a place where the individual becomes the collective. It was an expression of singularity in sociality, a space for dialogue and interaction, an affirmation of the potential for diversity and otherness of thought, relentlessly going beyond existence.

The artist stated in 1983: “The drawing may be a note, or it may even exhaust the subject of art. It’s nice to be able to ‘draw’ – in the traditional sense – something like a hand, a head, a tree or a bottle, but it’s not enough. A drawing can be calibrated and sensitised by pressing the pencil down to a greater or lesser degree, so it can be admired for its traditional qualities of draughtsmanship, or for its expressiveness – not for what it represents, but for what it inspires.” For Nigro, the work on paper was thus a complex “theoretical object”. One that played a constant part in the process of transformation, establishing a relationship that was neither static nor obvious, but always dynamic and active, between man and reality. It was therefore constantly evolving as a continuous process of research that intentionally appeared and established itself as a differential device. The fact that it gives tangible awareness to the quality of this difference means that it is able to transform an idea into an image. It is both the auroral, germinal stage of the idea, and its initial practical formulation: in this particularly liminal identity, Nigro views drawing as the first threshold on which thought is expressed in the form of image.

The significant sequence of works on paper that we see here, which is conceptually linked to the works on show in the exhibition at the Palazzo Reale, makes it possible to follow some of the most important pictorial cycles that were a prime feature of Nigro’s work.

In particular, we see examples of the “chequered panels” series and precious drawings, which ultimately led to Nigro’s “total space” series, all of which were conceived in the 1950s.

The works made with tempera, pastel and watercolour on canvas-backed paper paved the way for a number of series: “total time”, dating from the 1970s, and the “earthquakes”, from 1980-1, through to the “horizons” and “tracks” of the 1980s, and the “meditations” and “structures” of the 1990s. They enabled the artist to achieve considerable dimensions, while remaining within the scope of works on paper.

The showcases contain some of the largest and most important documents relating to Nigro’s life and artistic career, including the seminal writings that underpin the “total time” series.