JOHn GRIllO (b. 1917) Untitled Mosaic I, 1951 Oil on masonite 14 1/2 x 24 inches Provenance: Estate of the Artist John Grillo is regarded as one of the first and most important action painters in Northern California and one of the most influential members of the San Francisco School of Abstract Expressionism. He spent two years at the California School of Fine Arts (now the San Francisco Art Institute) under the G.I. Bill developing an advanced, unique, and mature style of abstract painting that was buoyed by the school’s inspirational learning environment. Grillo moved to New York in 1948, a shift that would prove instrumental to his development. In New York and Provincetown, Grillo studied with Hans Hofmann, with whom he developed a lasting friendship. Hofmann and Grillo shared ideas on color and on conceptions of space that led Grillo to create his most recognizable works during this time, his “mosaic” paintings of squares of color placed against one another upon a loose grid. Untitled Mosaic I is a powerful example from this “mosaic” series. Spots of color pulsate against one another, producing an animated and lyrical composition. Grillo stated: “Abstract painting is on a level with music. It’s a physical outburst from your whole being. It’s not the idea that is created and then you start painting. It’s always a challenge to shape something from nothing, to do the impossible.” Selected museum collections: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY; Brooklyn Museum of Art, Brooklyn, NY; British Museum, London, UK; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum of Art, New York, NY.
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