Composition 1968

Afro, who was born in Italy in 1912, made this painting, Composition, using bold colours and free gestures. What strikes me is the way the dark, heavy shapes jostle and interact with the brighter, more playful marks. It’s all about layering, responding, and adjusting. The surface is alive with energy, thick strokes, and thin washes of colour. The black paint feels almost sculptural, contrasting with the flat, graphic red accents. Look closely at the bottom left corner, see the little red cross? It’s such a simple, childlike form, yet it anchors the whole composition, pulling the eye into the heart of the painting. The painting embraces process. It feels raw and immediate, as if Afro was working through something, wrestling with form and space right there on the canvas. It reminds me a little of Franz Kline, or maybe even some of the later work by Philip Guston, artists who were similarly unafraid to embrace imperfection and ambiguity. It’s a reminder that art is not about answers, but about questions, and the messy, beautiful process of asking them.