John Grasso Abstract Art

JOHN GRASSO (b. 1970)
The Gathering, 2026
Oil on canvas
203 × 100 cm

This is a densely layered abstract-figurative painting in which the suggestion of the human figure is embedded within an energetic network of painted gestures. The predominant crimson, burgundy and earthy red ground creates a warm, almost atmospheric field, while passages of white, pale green, yellow and blue cut through the surface with considerable force.

The repeated curved and looping marks are particularly important. They suggest arms, legs, torsos and fleeting bodily gestures, although no individual figure remains completely resolved. The viewer continually discovers fragments of human presence within the accumulation of paint.

The vertical format reinforces a sense of upward movement and continual flux. Rather than reading as a static arrangement, the painting feels as though figures are moving through one another, appearing and disappearing within the dense surface.

There is also a strong tension between structure and disorder. Beneath the lighter gestural marks are layers of darker linear drawing and earlier passages of colour. These create a complex visual history, giving the surface considerable depth.

John Grasso’s 2026 abstract-figurative paintings explore the figure as something sensed rather than explicitly depicted. In this large vertical canvas, fragments of bodies emerge from an accumulation of looping lines, colour and gestural marks, only to dissolve again into the surrounding field.

A predominantly crimson and burgundy ground is activated by flashes of white, green, yellow and blue. The contrasting marks move across the canvas with urgency, creating an impression of bodies, gestures and collective movement. Grasso’s layered handling of oil paint allows earlier marks to remain visible beneath later interventions, transforming the surface into a record of accumulated physical action.

The vertical scale intensifies the sensation of movement, drawing the eye continuously from one fleeting form to another. The painting occupies a space between abstraction and figuration, where the human presence is never entirely lost but is continually absorbed into the larger field.

Artist

John Grasso (b. 1970, Mareeba, Queensland) is a self-taught Australian artist of Sicilian heritage, based in Cairns, Far North Queensland. His practice encompasses vibrant abstract and figurative painting, reflecting an ongoing exploration of colour, movement, culture and the expressive possibilities of oil paint.

Artist Statement:
My paintings are an exploration of colour, movement and the physical act of painting. I am interested in what happens when layers of paint, marks and colour interact rather than being completely controlled.

I work intuitively, allowing the painting to develop through repeated application, scraping, drawing and repainting. Colour is central to the process. Strong contrastscan create energy, while darker passages provide depth and allow brighter colours to emerge.

My surroundings in Far North Queensland, my interest in Japanese culture and my experience with martial arts have all contributed to the way I approach painting. I am interested in balance, discipline and movement, but also in the freedom that comes from allowing a painting to evolve.