Tuesday, February 17, 2009

vittorio colaizzi

It's common knowledge in certain art worldy circles that a yellow painting never sells. I've been witness to these feverish whisperings. Yellow is just plain twee and won't match the decor. Shocking!

I can't disagree more. There's something about the colour yellow that always satisfies me when I paint. It pulls a picture together and activates the whole surface. I can be making mud pie then I add yellow and hey presto - a seductively satisfying balance with a certain zing materialises. Hmmm... a trite observation perhaps but, well, you know what I mean.

A painter that uses yellow with aplomb is Vittorio Colaizzi. Oh boy, how that yellow wave tingles my senses. I'm always returning to have a look at his work over on release form, a great painting blog .

Unlike the previous post these pictures are not always easy to digest. A refreshing quality in any painter, frankly. A painting, when easy on the eye, just bores the eye.

Let me explain.

On quick inspection the crisp shapes seem too easily placed. But then you notice a white space here, a scratchy unfinished brush mark there and suddenly bam! your eye begins to take in unusual and surprising placement of forms. Likewise the treatment of the painted surface, although not easily read in a jpeg, suggests a rigorousness only seen in intelligent painting.

There is a sense of paintings history here. Dare I mention 'formalistic concerns' without rousing the Greenburgian detractors humphing over there in the corner. But this is exactly what attracts me and VC fulfills the whole brief. Placing colour, juggling form, pushing paint, thick or scrappy. Decisions about when to stop doing all of these things - when to stop so that painting remains fresh, not a dead weight, is what he is master of.

Now, go look.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

thanksso much for these comments and the post, I appreciate reading how someone else sees these. Sorry I haven't checked in a while. As always, looking forward to the next one.

Nomi Lubin said...

Well put, I think.

undercover painter said...

If you think otherwise Nomi please say what you want. All comments welcome. I try to stay true to my gut reaction, for what it's worth. If I miss something, misinterpret - whatever - I'll learn that from others. Over to you, I think ;)

Nomi Lubin said...

No, I worded that badly: I think your insights into this painting are accurate.

Jeffrey Collins said...

i happen to love yellow paintings, i've been working more and more lately in yellow as a main color in my work. Perhaps it's just because of my desire for spring to finally come back, or maybe otherwise. I appreciate your article on the subject.

I look forward to reading and interacting with you more about the uses of color.

Thanks.
J

Unknown said...

Beautiful Art ! Glad to view it via the web.

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