Arlequin 1950

Joan Ponc created this unnamed ink and watercolour on paper, 'Arlequin'. The marks here are immediate, and a little bit shaky, and the colour palette is bright and a little bit haphazard, like a clown's outfit found in a hurry. There is something about how the colours don't quite fit in the lines which has an endearing, human quality. Looking at the figure's face, it is easy to see where the artist has gone over and over the same line, building up layers of ink to make the dark, staring eyes. This kind of insistent mark-making draws me into the emotional core of the work, which feels like an attempt to express something complex about what it means to be human, using very simple means. The layering also reminds me of Cy Twombly's scribbled surfaces, which are both childlike and deeply serious. It's great to see that artists from different places and times can be in conversation through the language of paint and ink. In art, there are no final answers, only the ongoing attempt to express ourselves.