L'approdo 1963

Afro made this painting, L’approdo, with oil paint, but when exactly, we don’t know! The way he’s put the paint down, you can tell it’s all about the process of making. Look at how he layers those reds, whites, and blacks. The surface has this real push-and-pull thing going on. There's a tension between the flat shapes and the gestural marks. Like in that loop of brown and black in the bottom left. It's almost like he's daring you to find a form in the chaos. The paint is thick in some spots, thin in others, and you can totally see the marks of his brush. He reminds me a bit of Franz Kline, but with a warmer palette. Both artists are all about energy and movement, but Afro brings this Italian sensibility to it. For me, this piece is all about how painting is a conversation, an ongoing dialogue between artists and ideas. It's not about answers; it's about the questions we ask along the way.