ABOUT THE WORK

While Jonathan Olazo may be known as the son of the respected abstractionist Romulo Olazo, he has carved a name of his own through a body of work that investigates, extends, and problematizes the materiality of medium. Invariably, his works constitute a gamut of artistic expressions: from assemblage to installation to conceptual art. In this work, which is a homage to a respected artist, Olazo takes a deeper look in the constituent elements of the painting medium. Here, the canvas appears to be a version of an easel that contains both mixed and unmixed colors. As a product, the accidents of color are presented as generative. The gestural quality of the strokes allows for layering and superimposition, which prompts a rethinking of space in abstraction. The work, in contributing to what constitutes the nature of painting, allows the viewer to re-examine conventional notions of composition and, by extension, the nature of beauty itself.