Fulvio Testa: Recent Watercolors

Then, just as we begin to be convinced that we are confronted by free, loosely constructed equivalents for specific parts of the world, these surprising little paintings shift gears yet again. The landscape image that we felt we were on the verge of indentifying dissolves into a melting structure of strokes, ribbons of line, and transparent washes. In fact, it’s the tension between unbridled painterliness and the potent, albeit unstable and elusive sense of the particular that keeps us looking at Testa’s watercolor “landscapes,” just as the tension between his economical drawing and his convincing allusions to real experience does in his illustrations. But while Testa’s towering reputation as an illustrator attests to his ability to translate words into self- sufficient, eloquent images, what sets his watercolor “landscapes” apart is their power to stir our emotions, our accumulated associations, and our memories without language. In his most recent series of moody, fascinating works, Testa successfully bypasses words in favor of the essential elements of painting itself, freed from reference and expressively deployed.

New York, August 2012