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Lucio Fontana, Concetto spaziale, Attese - this is one of Sophia’s favorite artists and one of Xavi’s favorite statements to make. As a true engineer at heart, Xavi appreciates technique, effort, and a good story - and while Fontana’s works go far beyond this trifecta of discernment, they also prove that these are excellent ingredients to make a very good work of art. Which brings us to one of our favorite memories: the proposal, and also one of our longest-running debates: Is this art?

To understand the proposal, we start with Fontana. Working after WWII, in a period of existential musings and scientific innovation, Fontana developed his Tagli (cut) series in the 60’s, in which he made vertical incisions across the canvas (as pictured here). By slicing the surface, Fontana moved beyond a two-dimensional image - opening the picture plane into the third dimension, into our space, if you will. It was a very simple, but metaphysically loaded gesture, and, arguably, something anyone could have done.

And so, in front of a hanging blank canvas, Xavi wanted to achieve two things: (1) to propose, and (2) to make a point. He made a speech about Moses, Catholicism in Spain, and golf swings - all while holding an X-Acto knife (it was a very confusing moment for Sophia). In a great feat of engineering, he had hidden the ring in a small compartment installed behind the canvas, so that when he drew the knife diagonally across it, like a golf swing, he would create a tagli à la Fontana and reveal the ring.

Inadvertently, the proposal became a work of performance art in itself, and we now have a lovely Xavi-tana hanging in our living room - 100% technique, 100% effort, and 100% a very, very good story.