Grigi che si alleggeriscono verso oltremare 1990

Giovanni Anselmo made this artwork using rough-hewn stones and a painted square—a deep ultramarine. I imagine Anselmo moving these heavy stones around, shifting them slightly, testing the relationships between the gray of the stone and the blue. Each placement changes everything. It reminds me how when I’m making a painting, it’s all about this back and forth: pushing, pulling, changing, until something unexpected emerges. I can almost feel the weight of those stones, their cool, rough surfaces contrasting with the small square of intense color. The ultramarine feels grounding, like a concentrated point of energy. The arrangement has a rhythm, a visual cadence that feels both deliberate and accidental. There is something universal about this arrangement. The gesture of placing these seemingly simple materials in relation to each other opens up a space for contemplation, maybe even a little bit of joy. It seems like the other minimalist artists like Sol LeWitt and Carl Andre were also invested in the power of simple forms and materials to evoke complex ideas and emotions.