Ash Pulse

Curatorial text

The surface presents itself as an almost square field in which a series of undulating vertical cords follows from top to bottom, occupying the centre with a continuous cadence. No crest repeats the previous one exactly: the profiles narrow and widen, and that minimal shift sustains an organic rhythm that avoids mechanical regularity.

The palette, contained within ash greys and light lead tones, opens out through a whitish stippling of mineral character. That white does not operate as figure but as inlay: it appears intermittently on the crests, intensifying their presence and causing the grey to be read in terms of densities, like a stratified atmosphere.

Light is decisive for the perception of the whole. In the interstices between cords, narrow and persistent shadows form, cutting out the depth of the relief and accentuating the verticality. In profile view, the step between plane and cord confirms a construction in layers, with edges softened by the material.

The grain, rough and homogeneous, unifies the support and the elevations, allowing a process of application by loads and glazes to show through, settling the volume without spectacle. The work thus maintains that tactile and silent quality in which Pagliari turns the painting into a breathed wall surface, close to the memory of swell and stone.