295 - AFRO BASALDELLA (Udine, 1912 – Zurich, 1976) – Untitled (1969)

AFRO BASALDELLA (Udine, 1912 – Zurich, 1976) – Untitled (1969) Mosaic on fiberglass panel. Dimensions: 61.5 × 147 cm. This abstract and expressionist work features a horizontal composition of great chromatic and textural richness, articulated through organic forms, calligraphic signs, and irregular geometric structures that intertwine against a background of white and beige tones. The composition is dominated by a large central area of orange-ochre with sinuous contours, crisscrossed by thick black lines that create a complex network of lines and forms with a biomorphic appearance. On the left side, several green surfaces with rounded profiles stand out, accompanied by an intense red patch in the lower corner, while at the top, a curved structure in a dark tone introduces movement and visual continuity. On the far right, a cluster of black forms with a branching and gestural appearance extends across the light background, creating a striking contrast with the central chromatic surfaces. The use of small mosaic tiles lends the work a remarkable richness of textures and variations in light, transforming the painterly gestures into a surface of monumental and vibrant character. The composition reflects the artistic language of Afro Basaldella—known as Afro—a key figure in postwar Italian abstraction, whose work is characterized by the integration of organic forms, gestural structures, and a particular sensitivity to the relationships between color, space, and matter. The work demonstrates the artist’s ability to translate his pictorial vocabulary into the language of mosaic, preserving the spontaneity of the brushstroke and the compositional freedom characteristic of his painting. Its formal conception shows affinities with certain explorations by Arshile Gorky (1904–1948), particularly in the use of biomorphic forms, sinuous lines, and abstract structures evoking nature, as well as with the artistic universe of Joan Miró (1893–1983), due to the use of ...