IDM – Astratto #342 2016

Joseph Pace made 'IDM – Astratto #342' using paint and mixed media, and it looks like he really went to town with it. The colors are earthy but explosive, reminding me of a landscape right after a volcano erupts, beauty from chaos! Looking at the surface, you can see so much texture. The paint is built up in layers, thick in some spots and almost transparent in others. There are drips and splatters, and you can tell that Pace wasn't afraid to let the paint do its thing. In the center, the vertical wooden slats create an architectural grid which Pace then messes with, undermining any sense of order or control. It makes me think a little bit of Anselm Kiefer, with that same interest in materiality and the way that paint can have a life of its own. Ultimately, what I love about Pace's work is that it embraces the messy, unpredictable nature of artmaking. It shows us that there's beauty to be found in the process itself.