Paris - S. Sebastien 3 1974

Joaquim Rodrigo’s Paris - S. Sebastien 3 is, well, a trip! The earthy brown background and the way Rodrigo applies the white paint, outlining everything with a steady hand, it’s like looking at a memory palace. The paint isn’t trying to trick you, there’s no heavy impasto or blending. Instead, the paint's materiality is very present – you know, the way it sits on the surface, almost like a sign painter. Take a look at the cows, those cute, spotted cows. They’re not trying to be cows, they are just there. The simplicity reminds me of folk art, or maybe even outsider art. It’s like he’s found a way to make painting as direct and unfussy as possible, like a child's drawing, but with the skill of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing. It brings to mind other artists who embraced this directness like, say, Alfred Jensen or Forrest Bess. But Rodrigo? He’s doing his own thing, turning the act of painting into a personal cartography.