Onde IV 1961

Pablo Palazuelo created this painting, Onde IV, with what looks like oil on canvas, and a whole lotta red. It’s fascinating how a limited palette can actually open up possibilities; like he's really exploring the nuances of this one color. I find myself drawn to the way Palazuelo builds up the surface. The paint isn't overly thick, but you can sense the layers, like he’s searching for the right form, adding and subtracting. There’s a real push and pull, especially in the upper left corner where you can see the black underpainting. The shapes feel organic, almost like magnified cells viewed under a microscope. It reminds me a little bit of some of Arshile Gorky’s biomorphic abstractions, but Palazuelo has a unique geometric sensibility at play, too. It’s this combination of hard and soft, structure and fluidity, that makes it so compelling. Art isn’t about answers; it’s about the questions we ask along the way.