Composição #04 2004

This is “Composição #04,” by Pedro Calapez, and is made from oil on wood. The paint has a rich, almost waxy quality, and it sits in horizontal bands across small rectangular blocks. The materiality here is important. By using colors that are so saturated, Calapez draws attention to the viscous nature of the paint itself. The application isn’t seamless; you can see the marks of the brushstrokes, each a record of his labor. And what about the wood? It's clearly not meant to disappear, and remains present as a textural element that peeks through the thin layers of color. This isn’t exactly “fine” art, in the old sense. It asks us to see the value in simple acts of making. So next time you see a painting, consider the ways in which it is constructed, and how the artist's hand has brought it into being. It just may change the way you understand art altogether.