Architectural Form of Future Ideal Landscape 1921

Enrico Prampolini made this painting, Architectural Form of Future Ideal Landscape, with an almost naive sense of geometric structure. He’s using an array of colours in block form, which gives the impression of a child’s construction blocks used to build an alien city. You can see how the colours are opaque and laid on with a kind of matte, chalky finish. The paint isn't thick, but the areas of colour are clearly defined. He’s using an earthy palette for the landscape, which is in sharp contrast to the artifical blues, greens and yellows used for the buildings. Look at the red mark near the centre. It’s like a slash. There are a lot of vertical and horizontal shapes in the painting, and then you get this surprising curve, like a portal of some kind. He reminds me of Giorgio de Chirico, who was also interested in cityscapes and the uncanny effect of simplified geometric forms, but Prampolini's work has a lighter, more optimistic feel. It’s a wonderful example of how painting can embrace ambiguity.