Maschere No 1 1909

Alberto Magnelli made "Maschere No 1" with oil paint on canvas, and I bet he had fun doing it! I love the boldness of the palette—the reds, greens and yellows. You can almost feel the artist working and reworking the composition. I imagine Magnelli in his studio, squinting at the canvas, brush in hand, maybe thinking about Picasso or Léger, but then deciding to go his own way, you know? The flat blocks of color create these layered geometric forms, which, like stage curtains, both reveal and conceal. Do you get the sense that you are witnessing figures at a masked ball? What are they trying to hide? Are they in disguise from others or themselves? Painting often feels like that—part confession, part invention. Magnelli reminds us that uncertainty and ambiguity are the point. What do you think?