COMPANIONS: BY GIOVANNA BIALLO-STONE
A solo exhibition at WORLDART (54 Church Street, Cape Town) from 4 – 25 April 2019.
Giovanna Biallo-Stone knows colour. Her paintings, that she refers to as “colour fields”, represent a sophisticated glance at colours and its effect on each other.
By using the canvas as a large grid and juxtaposing primary colours, tints and hues in a variety of combinations, the artist opens up a dialogue of a very special kind. With the colours either contrasting or merging with one another, they offer different points of entry for viewers to join in the conversation. In this way the painting comments on its own content while becoming a vehicle for communication.
Biallo-Stone creates a vast spectrum of colour as she proceeds to “invent” endless tints by mixing colours or adding varying amounts of white paint to obtain subtle changes of tone and intensity. As new relationships between colours are established, the planes of colour become the bearers of thought, often taking on the character of narratives.
Ever since her student days at the University of Cape Town’s Michaelis School of Fine Art she was intrigued by the possibilities of manipulating and exploiting colour. While she was still focusing on ceramics and figurative work, she already recognised a kindred spirit in the abstract works of Mark Rothko. Following a period of residence at the Ampersand foundation in New York, she found a new idiom in applying herself to the exploration of colour fields.
As the different planes of colour seem to reach out to one another, viewers may become intensely aware of sensations like peace, intimacy and quietude, only to discover notes of unrest and drama lurking on the opposite end of the canvas.
Biallo-Stone’s palette speaks in mysterious ways and holds surprises that extend beyond words. And this explains why the language of colour makes a meaningful contribution to our world of inner and outer awareness.
For more information contact Warren Maroon at warren@worldart.co.za or on 021 423 3075
