Generale 1975

Enrico Baj made this ‘Generale’ with paint and collage, and boy, is it something else. The mark making here is wild, like a garden overrun with strange blooms. The textures and colors grab you—that mottled, camouflage pattern is so alive, it feels like it could crawl right off the canvas. Look at the face, those vacant eyes and the metallic nose, the whole thing is unsettling, yet strangely compelling. It’s like Baj is saying something about authority, maybe how absurd and monstrous it can be. This piece reminds me of Red Grooms, both have this playful yet pointed way of skewering the powerful. Art's not about neat answers, it's about stirring things up, leaving room for doubt and multiple takes.