Vérone

Thick ridges of paint crowd across this canvas like fragments of colored glass pressed together. Jean-Paul Riopelle, a painter from Quebec, made "Vérone" in 1954 using the tool he loved best, a palette knife rather than a brush. He piled greens, blues, reds, and warm whites onto the surface in short, chopped strokes, building a texture so dense it resembles a mosaic. Nothing in particular is meant to be recognized here. Riopelle worked in the abstract tradition, trusting color and physical texture to carry the whole story.

Before settling in Paris, Riopelle was part of a bold group of Montreal artists known as the Automatistes, who painted on instinct and let feeling guide their hands instead of careful planning. The title nods to Verona in Italy, yet you will search in vain for streets or rooftops. Some people spot a hidden landscape in the layers, maybe a flash of remembered light broken apart into raw motion.

Half the pleasure comes from moving around the work. Standing back, the colors start to organize into loose forms, while stepping in reveals a rugged terrain of hardened paint and sharp edges. Riopelle painted fast and with real muscle, and that burst of energy stays locked into every ridge. Rather than a view of the world, this is a snapshot of the painting itself being made.