Abbraccio 1983

Francesco Clemente made "Abbraccio" with pastels. I imagine him working on it, perhaps slowly building up the forms with layers of color, or maybe attacking it with bold strokes. I'm so curious about how it came into being. The palette is an intriguing mix of earthy tones and vibrant hues, and the forms are fluid. I wonder what Clemente was thinking about when he made this. Was he thinking about the tenderness of human connection? The figures seem to melt into one another. The physicality of the pastel medium is evident in the textures. You can almost feel the chalky surface. There's a particular gesture in the way the figures embrace, that communicates a sense of longing, or maybe even a bit of melancholy. Clemente is definitely in conversation with a lot of other artists! I think he's exploring themes of intimacy and identity, and how paintings can be embodied expressions. Ultimately, the ambiguity of this piece is what makes it so compelling. It invites us to bring our own experiences.