Circino XXXVI 2003

Pablo Palazuelo made this painting, Circino XXXVI, working with geometric abstraction and a limited palette. It’s about the push and pull between the physical act of painting and the clean, almost architectural lines he’s creating. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the paint. It’s not trying to hide itself. The black isn’t flat; it has depth, like a shadow you could almost step into. Then, these sharp white lines slice through, defining shapes within shapes. Notice how a single stroke can change everything? There’s one curved line on the right that makes the whole structure tilt forward. It reminds me a little of Franz Kline, but where Kline is all raw energy, Palazuelo is aiming for something more precise, almost spiritual. It’s a conversation between gesture and form. The beauty of abstract art is that it keeps asking questions instead of giving answers.