Abstracto mudéjar 2017

Requena Nozal made this painting, titled Abstracto mudéjar, using a process that feels a bit like controlled chaos. There is this overall scattering of colour, but with an underlying order. I’m really drawn to the texture here; you can almost feel the bumps and ridges of the paint. The strokes feel intuitive, as if the artist let the hand lead the way, with loads of dots and dashes of blue, red, gold and black. The white background works almost like a lace, or a web, loosely holding all of these marks together. There’s a real push and pull between control and chance. This reminds me a little of the work of Hilma af Klint, but with a more earthy palette. It’s this tension between what we plan and what happens in the moment that makes painting so alive, isn't it? It's all about embracing the unexpected.