Disegno geometrico 1960

Giulio Paolini made this geometric design, probably with graphite and maybe pastel, to create something that almost disappears. The surface has a hazy, dreamy quality, like a memory fading at the edges. You can sense the artist's hand in the subtle textures and variations of tone, yet the overall effect is one of quiet restraint. Look at the way the lines intersect, forming a delicate network across the surface, and notice the small crosses that mark the points of division, like tiny stars in a constellation. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, but with an Italian twist. It’s this tension between precision and ephemerality that makes Paolini's work so compelling, that sense of something emerging and dissolving all at once. In the end, it’s not about what we see, but how we see, that makes this piece so special.