Bianco 1966

Agostino Bonalumi made this painting, titled Bianco, with paint on canvas, though you have to look hard to see the paint, right? What I find so arresting about this piece is its monochrome palette, or lack thereof. All these whites and off-whites, seemingly identical at first, slowly differentiate, revealing slight tonal variations. This isn't just about seeing; it's about perceiving. The surface texture becomes crucial, and you might start to wonder: What tools were used? A brush, perhaps? Or maybe the paint was applied with a palette knife, or even a cloth? The whole thing looks to me a bit like a topographic map – a landscape of subtle shifts and shallow relief. The circle is both there and not there. Think of someone like Lucio Fontana, another Italian artist who also explored surface and space. Ultimately, art is about seeing what's already there, but in a new way.