Untitled 1966

Rodolfo Arico made this painting with red paint on canvas and I love how clean and quiet it is. It is like he has been on a search for the essence of the form! These red bean-like shapes sit on top of each other, but it feels more like a dance than a clumsy layering. Maybe Arico was thinking about how we can make something feel solid, without needing to create a scene, or even an object. It feels like he's asking, what's the least I can do and still have it be painting? He’s definitely in conversation with other minimalists like Ellsworth Kelly or Carmen Herrera. You know, painting is always a question of process. It is never just an illustration of a preconceived idea. Arico's painting reminds us that there is always room to ask new questions of painting and to explore new avenues of seeing.