Grafía Antiga 1939

Xul Solar made Grafía Antiga with paint and probably a brush, at some point. It is moody, with a palette of blues and greys, and this makes me think about the quiet but persistent act of making. The material quality of the paint is so present, thick and opaque in some areas, but thinned with turpentine in others. There's a real sense of texture that speaks to the physicality of the process, of paint pushed and pulled. I'm drawn to the cluster of what look like dancing figures, scratched into the surface, full of movement and energy. Solar’s work reminds me a little of Paul Klee in its playfulness with symbols and codes. But while Klee could be precise, Solar has a sort of mystical sensibility. For Solar, meaning doesn't come from a place of certainty; instead, it's born from the process of painting itself.