Palimpsesto 1957

Modest Cuixart made this gorgeous earthy painting called 'Palimpsesto' and I bet he was in a state when he made it - I really feel it! The canvas is just covered in a riot of oranges and reds and strange symbols. I see this circle of scratched-in lines, almost like the artist was carving into the surface, like a ritual. And then there are these dark marks, perhaps writing, layered all over, partly obscured, built up over time. I can imagine Cuixart layering, scraping, adding, and subtracting – each gesture a record of his presence, almost like a personal language or code. It's a wild and free painting, kinda like Cy Twombly if he'd had a fever and a bad dream. But it's also strangely comforting. I feel like I could get lost in this painting, finding new things each time. The thing is, painting is all about that conversation - we look and we see, and then the next artist picks up the thread and keeps it going!