Non Finito 1970

Giorgio Griffa made Non Finito, which translates to ‘unfinished’, out of watercolour on canvas, or maybe paper. The title is interesting, because every work is unfinished in a way, right? I'm really drawn to the understated nature of the marks. They’re like a code, but a very relaxed, humanist one. Griffa uses a limited palette, various hues of pink, which creates a serene, almost meditative quality. The paint is thinly applied, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through, emphasizing the physicality of the medium. Each mark is a slightly different length, a slightly different tone, a slightly different pressure. Look at the second vertical line from the left. The subtle variations in the pink dashes reveal the hand of the artist, the slight tremor, the varying pressure. They're almost like musical notes on a staff, each one contributing to a quiet, rhythmic composition. It makes me think of Agnes Martin, but with a touch more playfulness. It’s a beautiful reminder that art is a continuous process, an ongoing experiment.