In this document, the critic Francisco Da Antonio develops a chronological essay on the life and work of Domenico Casasanta, starting in 1958, when the artist arrived in Venezuela. After almost a decade in which he produced no work, in 1968, the artist presented his first solo exhibition in Caracas. The critic analyzes the early work of the Venezuelan artist born in Italy as examples of Constructivist art, identified by its geometric rigor. He also discusses the artist’s later work, consisting of monumental sculpture, as well as his Kinetic work. Da Antonio notes the most important milestones in the artist’s career in visual art, such as the prize he was awarded at the thirtieth Salón Oficial in 1969 and his participation in the Plan Cultural Caracas. The article also analyzes the evolution of Casasanta’s style, marked by the adoption of the parallelepiped as the geometric ideal and the incorporation of natural light into his Kinetic work. Da Antonio places Casasanta with other foreign sculptors who took up residence in Venezuela to execute their sculptural work: Miguel Von Dangel and Cornelis Zitman.

Francisco Da Antonio (b. 1930) uses a chronology to organize the work of the Venezuelan artist born in Italy, Domenico Casasanta (1935–1994). The essay was written for the artist’s only exhibition held at the Museo de Bellas Artes in Caracas (in 1973). This is an essential text; its importance lies in it being the most complete, extensive research done on the artist and his work. Two earlier essays were written for two Caracas exhibitions entitled Casasanta, one held at the Galería Arte Industria (1968); the other, at the Galería Track (1971). As the most recent articles on the artist at the time, they became the basis for this study. Along with one by Perán Erminy (Galería Track, 1971), the two essays were frequently cited by Da Antonio. The critic performs an in-depth analysis of Casasanta’s approach to art, in which he attempts to decipher the artistic and aesthetic meaning of the work. He also includes a highly detailed biographical study, with a particularly intense focus on the first five years of the artist’s art life. In fact, this is one of the few texts that study each of the artist’s works individually, setting forth a comprehensive list, from the artist’s Constructivist work to his Kinetic efforts. As of this exhibition, Da Antonio—who was a painter, critic, and curator himself—could be considered the person most knowledgeable about Casasanta’s work, having written all the texts for the artist’s exhibition catalogues. Around 1984, the bond between the artist and the writer would grow stronger in the course of a photography exhibition they presented together, featuring sculpture in the city of Caracas (exhibitions organized both at Sala Cadafe and at Sala Ipostel).