Volume 1958

This piece, 'Volume' by Dadamaino, presents four white ovoid shapes on a matte black ground. I imagine Dadamaino carefully building up these forms, each one just slightly rotated, hovering on the surface. What was she thinking as she laid down each careful stroke of paint? I'm thinking of Giorgio Morandi, who spent his life exploring the subtle permutations of a few bottles on a tabletop. Here, Dadamaino's shapes are arranged in a grid-like composition reminiscent of Agnes Martin, but these forms evoke something primal, like smooth river stones or eggs. The paint looks really matte, doesn't it? The minimal value range helps define each shape through shadow and light. But, it’s not just about representation, it’s about the presence of paint itself, its ability to conjure form and space, and its place in a long conversation of artists looking and responding to the world. Painting is an ongoing act of translation—of feeling, seeing, and thinking. It’s a material way to make something visible.