Le ciel 1960

Modest Cuixart made this painting, Le ciel, using muted greys, browns, and creams, with fine dark lines scratched into the surface. It looks like a celestial eye staring back at you from another dimension. I can imagine Cuixart building up layers of paint, scraping back to reveal what’s underneath, adding and subtracting, making a real mess, then ordering it again, like life, right? I wonder if he was listening to music when he made it, something melancholic maybe. Those thin lines are so interesting; they’re almost like scars or veins mapping some hidden truth. There is a strange mix of chance and intention in this painting – something between a sketch and a fully realized image. It makes me think about the raw, unfiltered energy of Cy Twombly, but with a quieter, more introspective feel. Like they’re both trying to crack the code of what it means to be human. Ultimately, what touches me is that these paintings remain open, generous, and ambiguous.