Fundadores De Porto Alegre 1962

Aldo Locatelli made this oil painting called Fundadores De Porto Alegre at some point in his life. Look at the guy at the front, the leader, the founder. The way he raises his arm, pointing out towards the new world, you can see the energy of the mark making. It’s gestural, confident, just like he’s claiming the land, right? The brushwork has a looseness that gives the painting a real dynamism and it’s cool to see how Locatelli uses a limited palette of ochres, browns, and blues to create depth and movement. Check out the way the colours melt into each other, like the figures are emerging from the landscape itself. The paint is applied in layers, creating a tactile surface that draws you in. Notice, too, the contrast between the smooth areas and the more textured parts, like around the edges of the figures. This all reminds me a little of Delacroix, especially how colour and gesture come together to evoke a particular mood or feeling. Ultimately, though, the beauty of painting is that it's always open to interpretation.