Flower Vase 1963

Rene Portocarrero made this ‘Flower Vase’ out of paint sometime around 1963. I love how the marks and the color here create a sense of movement that feels really alive, like the painting is constantly in the process of becoming. There’s something raw and immediate about the surface. You can see the texture of the paint – thick in some places, thin in others. It’s almost as though he’s sculpting with it, building up layers to create depth and dimension. Look at how he’s rendered the vase, all fractured and transparent, it's like a cubist painting. Then there are these looping white marks that have the quality of icing on a cake, so delicious! Portocarrero reminds me of artists like Alfred Manessier, who explored the potential of abstraction to evoke emotions and ideas, while embracing the ambiguity and multiple interpretations of art.