Mandala 1958

Pablo Palazuelo made this untitled Mandala out of oil paint, pushing and pulling to get a series of crisp shapes set against a velvety black background. Just imagine him building up that surface—layer upon layer, struggling to resolve the composition. The forms are angular, geometric, like shards of ice, caught in a dance of light and shadow. I’m thinking he’s trying to conjure a sense of depth and space, using just a few colors. What restraint! It’s like he’s saying something about the hidden structures that underpin our world, inviting us to see beyond the surface. The piece feels deeply connected to the formalist tradition of painters like Mondrian, who sought a universal visual language. But it also reminds me of the sharp, clean lines you see in architectural renderings. It feels like an experiment to distil the world down to its barest, most essential components. And isn’t that what painting is all about?