Orla And Olinda 2017

Sofia Bonati made Orla and Olinda, with what looks like graphite and ink. It’s hard to know for sure, but there’s a real graphic quality that I find so compelling. The image hovers in this ambiguous space between drawing and painting because of its meticulous mark making and the tonality she achieves with it. She uses line to build shape, but the shapes she builds have the solidity of sculpture. There’s a kind of mesmerizing quality about the composition, especially in the almost hypnotic repetition of lines in the background. It’s balanced by the realism of the two faces. It makes me think of Hilma af Klint, with her interest in portraiture combined with abstraction, or maybe Agnes Martin with her interest in repetition and meditative form. But Bonati has a very distinctive voice. The way she uses pattern feels very contemporary. You could look at this image forever.