Grata nera fondo multicolore (Origine) 1950

Mario Ballocco made this untitled painting with what looks like oil on canvas. I love the way the grid almost emerges out of the black—it's there and not there, a coming together and pulling apart. There's a real push and pull to the whole thing, a back and forth between order and chaos. I get the sense that Ballocco was really interested in the physicality of the paint itself. It's not super thick, but you can see the brushstrokes and how the colors sit next to each other, creating this almost mosaic effect. Look at how the yellow pops against the black. It's so bold and direct, and it makes me think of the way a child might approach color, without any inhibitions. I think of Sean Scully, maybe because of the blocky compositions, but Ballocco is doing something else entirely. It feels more intuitive, less planned out. Ultimately, this painting feels like a reminder that art is always a process of discovery, a conversation between the artist and the materials, and between us, the viewers, and what we bring to it.