Notes for the Description of a Painting Dated 1972

For Paolini, art is a process of revelation. In Appunti per la descrizione di un quadro datato 1972, Paolini drew a grid in pencil on canvas, which simulates a series of pages covered in notes. As suggested by the title, these notes pertain to the detailed description of a work of art— an example of ekphrasis. The writing, however, is not meant to be legible; instead, as the viewer scans the page, a graphic rhythm emerges. It is impossible to decipher and reads instead as lyrical form. The logical connection between word and meaning is thus denied by Paolini, who invites viewers to participate in a reading of form.

The work is part of a series of canvases that the artist made for his first solo show in New York at the Sonnabend Gallery in 1972.