At the end of the 1950s, Rogelio Polesello introduced into his work various materials and techniques used in industrial production and the field of graphic design. Orange on Magenta is a painting made from layers of oil, applied on the canvas with a gun through metallic sheets with small circular perforations. The juxtaposition of the different layers of color produces an optical effect of reverberation. This procedure became a hallmark of Polesello’s work during the sixties, and at the time it was considered as a revitalizing contribution to the concrete abstract tradition in Argentina. In the words of artist Felipe Noé, an Argentine contemporary of Polesello, his work allowed abstract painting to find the “vibration of space through matter” with strong lyrical resonances. Although the process implemented by Polesello was inspired by lithographic plates, the result stands apart from the premise of strict control of areas of color and figures. That is, the artist proposes a more poetic painting of geometrism based on industrial processes. This piece was part of Polesello’s solo exhibition in the Pan American Union in October and November 1961. The text in the catalog highlights the youth of the artist—he was 21 at the time—as well as his various professional achievements. In that sense, Orange on Magenta belongs to the period in which Polesello emerged as a new talent in the Latin American art scene.
Argentine artist Rogelio Polesello was born in Buenos Aires and became known as one of the pioneers of optical art in his country. In 1958 he graduated as a teacher of engraving, drawing and painting at the Prilidiano Pueyrredón Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in his hometown. His work took on special relevance amid a scenario of appraisal of abstract art and the use of industrial materials as being poetic in relation to the developmental momentum of the mid-20th century in Latin America. Polesello thus became one of the most representative artists of the project of internationalization of Argentine art, prompted by Instituto Torcuato Di Tella, an artistic center directed by art critic Jorge Romero Brest. He participated in numerous international exhibitions and events, such as the Esso Salon of Young Artists (1965), a contest for which he received first prize in the painting category in the final showing at the Pan American Union in Washington, D.C. From the beginning of his career, Polesello related his artistic work to his professional experience in the design and advertising fields. His paintings in the sixties produced optical effects of movement through layers of paint applied to canvas with guns through perforated metal sheets. Toward the end of that decade, he created three-dimensional pieces from carved acrylic sheets that produced magnifying-glass effects and visual distortions, actively involving the observer. He also explored the fields of textile design, industrial design, and architecture. His work can be found both in public and private collections in Argentina, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, and the United States. In 2015, a year after his death, the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires presented an extensive exhibition of his work of 1959 to 1974.
