Compulsion 2018

Rodrigo Franzao's 'Compulsion' is a visceral expression formed through monochrome strokes, chaotic lines, and built-up layers. Looking at this piece, I can imagine the artist's struggle, the back-and-forth between control and chance. The frantic energy reminds me of Pollock, but with a tighter, more claustrophobic feel. It's like the artist is wrestling with something, maybe an idea, maybe a feeling. The paint is thick in places, almost sculptural, and then thin and splattered in others. That contrast is really interesting; how those black gestures dance over the blue striations. It gives the piece a real sense of depth, like you could fall into it. I wonder if Franzao, in that compulsion, was also searching for a way out, or further in. Painting is this back-and-forth. Every artist is in conversation with the past and with each other, and in the process, our conversations make their way into the future.