Untitled 1959

Mimmo Rotella made this image from torn posters, probably in the mid to late twentieth century. The layers of ripped paper create this incredible push and pull of textures and colors that are both aggressive and subtle. The way Rotella layers and tears feels like a record of time, like rings on a tree stump. Looking at the way he’s handled the surface, I’m drawn to the bottom right, where a purple swatch is laid over a bit of type. You can almost feel the grit and the glue. It's a small detail, but it captures the energy of the whole piece. This work reminds me a bit of Kurt Schwitters, but with a twist. While Schwitters built collages from found scraps, Rotella seems to be interested in the way the city itself creates accidental compositions, making beauty out of urban decay. It is a conversation about making and finding that echoes through art history.