Untitled IV 1962

Esteban Vicente made this vibrant abstract print sometime in the last century, with inks on paper. I can almost feel his arm moving, the brush dancing across the surface. Look at the black marks – so sure and bold, they seem to emerge from a place of pure instinct. Then, pops of orange and blue chime in, like afterthoughts or maybe corrections. I see a world of contrasts in this piece, a conversation between spontaneity and control. What’s so fantastic about Vicente’s work is how he makes it look easy, like he’s just having a chat with the canvas. It reminds me of painters like Motherwell, who were also figuring out how to let loose on the canvas, to let the subconscious have its say. This piece, with its raw energy and playful use of color, invites us to see painting not just as a picture, but as a record of a thought in motion. It’s a reminder that painting is a way of thinking, of feeling, of being in the world.