OPTICAL PERCEPTIONS QUES 2020

Sergio Mario Illuminato painted ‘Optical Perceptions Ques’ on canvas, and what a painting is! Look at the way the blues, reds, and whites are laid down, dripped, maybe even smeared, to create this luminous backdrop. I can imagine Illuminato in his studio, shifting and improvising, letting the painting emerge through layers of experimentation and chance. Those broad gestures of blue, fading into white, almost feel like weather, and that figure, cloaked in red, looks like he's facing an emotional storm. I like how the textures invite you to imagine the movement of the artist’s hand. I wonder if he’s been looking at the same sky all his life, painting it over and over, each time trying to grasp something just out of reach. It reminds me of some of Turner’s seascapes or Guston's hooded figures, yet it remains distinctly Illuminato’s own exploration of feeling. Ultimately, painting isn’t just about what you see, but how you feel, and how you keep searching.