The Merengue 1955

Vela Zanetti made "The Merengue" with oil on canvas using a palette of warm browns, yellows and greens. You can imagine Zanetti in his studio, working and reworking the surface, trying to catch the energy of the music. I love how Zanetti captures the musicians playing their instruments. He uses flat planes to build a sense of three-dimensionality. The geometric forms intersect and overlap, creating movement and rhythm within the composition, almost like the musical notes themselves. Look at the bottom of the canvas at the musician holding the gourd. The surface of the instrument has been built up with thick paint, which gives it a tactile, textural quality. The act of painting can be seen as a way of constructing a site of inquiry, opening up a space of possibility and experimentation, just like these musicians improvising together. Artists learn from each other across time, an ongoing exchange of ideas that inspires creativity.