杰夫・费尔海恩, Ideale Ruimte

Milan, 4-7-61 Dear Jef, you are a very dear, young friend. Your sympathy for me is strong, and you say very grand things about me that I accept as friendship. You are a young man full of enthusiasm and you have many qualities; I am sure you will do important things in contemporary art. Your questions are interesting, but it is very hard to respond to your queries in a satisfactory way, because my French is terrible. I hope to see you again in Albissola, to speak in person about certain issues regarding contemporary art. I think that matter is important to the evolution of art, but that the artist has to dominate it; it is the element the artist needs for their new creations, but the important thing, the most important thing is the idea – I have made the spheres, which are elements that appear to wholly contradict my idea of “spaziale”, but I think they are key to my artistic practice. When you find a new material for your idea, it is important to launch into the work; it is of no importance that the result is not immediate, the day will come that you see you are in the right. Dear Jef, you have made me say very complicated things, and art is a such a mysterious matter, we are pursuing this mystery all our lives, and we are happy not to discover it, because otherwise that would mean the end of art – and the mystery of the intelligence of man – until soon Jef Fontana Translated by Kate Mayne