Though the starting point of his work stems from complex ideas surrounding our perception of reality, Bruno Novelli makes these intellectual concepts an afterthought in his candy-colored abstract paintings. His work gives visual pleasure first and foremost. Novelli (who sometimes playfully stylizes his last name as 9li) recently presented a new series of paintings titled “Materia Radiante” at David B. Smith Gallery in Denver.
The Brazilian artist works with abstract shapes that somehow feel material and real. He carefully considers the gradients of backgrounds and the ways forms seem to spill over and fill one another with color. Novelli was inspired by 20th-century philosopher Henri Bergson’s idea that objects do not have absolute boundaries that separate them from their environment.
“Materia Radiante” opened August 14 and while Novelli was in Denver, he created a mural in Confluence Park as part of the civic beautification project Urban Arts Fund. His exhibition will be on view at David B. Smith Gallery through September 13.
