Los elementos III - Tierra 1989

This is Los elementos III - Tierra by Albert Rafols-Casamada. It's all about the earth here, or at least, that’s what I imagine Rafols-Casamada wanted us to feel when he made this artwork, using, what looks like, gouache and ink. The colors, like the shapes, feel grounded in this coppery surface, with a network of black lines that almost float above. It's as if he's digging into the surface, trying to uncover something buried beneath. I bet he made marks, looked, and then responded, figuring it out as he went along. It has that feel. I love the way that the black lines define planes and sections, almost like a cubist space. And that dark triangle on the right reminds me of those shadows you see in a Giorgio de Chirico painting. It’s all connected, you know? Artists respond to each other, riffing on ideas across time. And here, like in my own work, this little painting opens up a space for us to imagine, feel, and question, rather than telling us what to think.