Aello 1930

Francis Picabia made "Aello" with oil on canvas, and you can tell that Picabia's process was about letting the paint do its thing. The colors, mostly in the reds and greens, are layered in a way that feels both intentional and accidental, like he was trying to capture a feeling more than a scene. The way the figures are outlined with thick lines, but then filled with these almost transparent layers, it's like he's building up a world where things aren't quite solid. Look at the top left face, see how the tears and vines are painted to meld into the face? You get the feeling that Picabia wasn’t trying to hide the work that went into it. It's like he wanted you to see the layers, the decisions, the process of making. Think about how he relates to someone like Sigmar Polke, who also liked to play with layering and transparency. It's this ongoing conversation about what painting can be, not just representing something, but being something in itself.