Cercle doré 1958

Modest Cuixart has created an incredible surface here, built up with crinkled textures and contrasting dark and golden tones. I like to think about how a painting like this emerges, maybe it began with an idea, but then it takes on a life of its own. A wrestling match between the artist and the materials: the brush, the paint, the canvas all pushing back, demanding to be heard. I can imagine Cuixart applying thick layers of paint, scraping it away, and then adding more, searching for the right balance. The golden circle, bisected by a dark line, becomes a focal point, surrounded by a sea of darkness. Maybe it is a sun, maybe it is a planet, or perhaps it is simply a shape, a form, an idea that Cuixart is exploring. Painters are always talking to each other, through time and across space, each one building on what came before, adding their own voice to the conversation. It is this dialogue that keeps painting alive, vital, and ever-changing.