Gudea Priest of Akkad 1958

Enrico Donati made ‘Gudea Priest of Akkad,’ using what looks like oil paint, maybe with some grit mixed in, to give it that rough texture. The colors are earthy, like something you’d dig up, and the way he’s layered them is really interesting. Look at the big red shape; it’s not just red, it’s got all these cracks and variations, like the paint itself is aging. It's like the painting has its own memory, recording each touch and layer. The process of painting feels really present. The scraping away of the paint in the bottom left corner is like a little reveal, or a glimpse beneath the surface of something old. You could place this alongside the work of Antoni Tàpies, they both have that material focus. Ultimately, Donati's work is about seeing what happens when you let the materials lead.