Figura 1978

Gustavo Foppiani made this piece called Figura with paint on an unknown support. Look at how Foppiani built up the surface, scraping and scratching to create this incredible texture that feels both ancient and immediate. The figure seems to emerge from the ground, almost like an imprint or a memory. The color palette is muted – earthy browns, grays, and blacks – which adds to the sense of something unearthed, something raw. I keep coming back to the hair, or headdress. The way the artist has rendered it, with these short, blunt strokes, it's almost like a series of bones or shells. This detail connects to the piece as a whole, not just formally but emotionally. Looking at Foppiani’s work, I’m reminded of Antoni Tàpies, another artist who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, to embrace the materiality of paint. Both explore the beauty and the mess, leaving us with more questions than answers, and that's exactly how I like it.