Untitled 1985

Antonio Palolo made this painting in a flurry of activity, using acrylic paint to conjure up these two figures. The colours feel very intuitive, like he's responding to something he feels inside rather than something he sees outside, in the real world. I'm really drawn to the way he uses the blue. It's not just a backdrop; it’s like a deep space where these figures are floating or moving through. And those red lines shooting out from the yellow figure? They’re so direct and visceral. You can almost feel the energy radiating off the canvas. I wonder if that green rod, or maybe a spear, is symbolic. The marks are all out in the open, they have an honesty about them, there’s no attempt to disguise the process. It reminds me a little bit of Francis Picabia, with that same kind of raw, expressive freedom. It feels like a conversation, a thought process made visible.