Composition 1958

This 'Composition' by Enrico Castellani is, for me, such a dreamy painting with its sweeping gestures and muted palette. I can almost feel Castellani at work, the push and pull of the brush across the surface. Look at how the white paint sits so delicately over the brown—it’s almost tentative, like he's feeling his way through the painting. I'm drawn to how one mark dances with another. It's a bit like watching a conversation unfold, each stroke answering the one before it. There's a real material presence to this painting; the texture created by the paint is almost palpable, and makes me want to touch it. It reminds me of the work of painters like Kline or Twombly, who also used simple gestures to make something so powerful and communicative. Painting is nothing if not one artist talking to another!