Untitled (Composition) 1960

This is an undated, untitled composition by Afro, made with mixed media on paper. Look at how the blacks and reds seem to hover and dance around the edges of the muted greens. I love how Afro isn't precious with his materials. He's letting it all hang out. There is so much going on with the surface of this piece. The way the translucent washes of color stain and saturate the paper are really seductive. The black marks feel impulsive, like charcoal or ink being dragged across the page, or maybe a really dry brush. Note the spattering of red in the bottom left, and how it is echoed in the top right, it's like he is trying to make the image both balanced and off-kilter at the same time. Afro feels like an artist who is constantly in dialogue with others. I can see the influence of someone like Franz Kline here, but also the seeds of something very unique, that Afro would later develop in his own work. In art, there is always more than one way to see, more than one path to take.