Abstract Composition 1955

Enrico Prampolini made this Abstract Composition, we don't know exactly when, with paint. He's really gone to town, hasn't he? I love the blue here, it anchors everything. Prampolini seems to have built the painting from the background forward, with these textured planes that have an almost concrete quality. The application is rough and ready, but then he's put these clean lines over the top, like architectural details. It's all about layering, and the push and pull between accident and design. Check out that little dash of red hovering near the top; such a small detail, but it really brings the whole picture together. It reminds me a little of Leger, but somehow with more grit. Both artists invite us to look at the world with new eyes, embrace a kind of beautiful awkwardness.