City 1954

In this painting by Rene Portocarrero, there are colours strewn like jewels, yet contained in these architectural forms. I imagine Portocarrero building up this city with a mix of control and intuition. It’s like he's in conversation with the city itself. The colour palette is lively. A dark sky looms behind with these splatters, drips and stains, suggesting layers of time. The city is rendered with these bright colours, little windows, boxes and domes that repeat. But, the surface of the painting has a life of its own, not quite flat, with a subtle texture that catches the light. You can feel the artist's hand in it, the decisions made, the paths taken. It reminds me of Paul Klee’s paintings, in that it shares this playful arrangement of colour and form. There’s a back and forth between the formal structure and the playful, intuitive marks. It feels like an invitation into a world of colour, light and structure. It’s the artist's world, and now, ours too.