Gottfried Keller, ritratto 1986

Valerio Adami made this unnamed portrait of Gottfried Keller with flat blocks of vibrant colour, like someone cutting shapes from stained glass. It's got a graphic punch that reminds me of pop art, but with a European sensibility, all clean lines and bold choices. Look how Adami uses these black outlines to separate colour blocks. Gottfried’s face is a cool blue, offset by the white of the lamb or goat nestled against him, and beneath, the deep green of his outfit. See how the bright red of his hands create a focal point? I love the way Adami flattens everything, abstracting the figure into almost cartoonish forms, yet it still feels like a portrait. The colours and the shapes are not descriptive, yet somehow, they capture a mood, an essence of the man. I’m reminded of David Hockney, and his commitment to seeing the world through clear, graphic forms. Both artists let their personalities shine through in their work. They suggest that art is a field of endless conversations, where artists riff off each other, creating new ways of seeing and feeling.