Los elementos III - Tierra 1989

Albert Rafols-Casamada made Los elementos III - Tierra with a printmaking technique, at an unknown date. The ochre field hosts black lines and shapes, forming a loose and earthy composition, as if the artist just let the marks fall where they may. The texture! It's not slick, not precise, but open and porous like the soil itself. The ochre color feels like dry earth, and the black lines are like shadows or roots, things buried or half-seen. Check out the triangle shape in the upper right, it has this hand-drawn, slightly off-kilter vibe. It's a bit awkward, a bit unsure, and that makes it feel so alive. Rafols-Casamada reminds me of Joan Miró, who shared the Catalonian origins and also had a gift for simple yet suggestive forms. Like Miró, there is a playful quality to Rafols-Casamada’s work, embracing the mystery of creation. These elements aren't fixed, they're fluid. They shift, they change, they invite us to imagine what else could be there.