Horizontal abstract painting by Maurizio Valch, 'STRATA VIII - TRIA'. A vast teal color field occupies the background, divided by fine white horizontal lines. Three rectangular crimson red blocks, with blurred white and light blue edges, appear to float in the space: one large block on the right, a smaller one at the top left, and another smaller one towards the bottom center. The surface displays prominent texture with impasto and scraping marks.
Maurizio Valch, 'STRATA VIII - TRIA', an abstract painting from the STRATA series that explores territory and material.

Published work / STRATA

TRIA

Chromatic Tension in a Color Field

Size
47.2 × 31.5 in / 120 × 80 cm
Series
STRATA Painting series STRATA 2026–Present · 10 works Maurizio Valch's STRATA series features contemporary abstract painting, showcasing artwork with stratified surfaces. Crafted with acrylic and oil on canvas, this series stands out for its dense chromatic fields and profound incisions, evoking an inner, archetypal territory. View series
Orientation
Horizontal
Context studies
6

Conceptual Note

Unlike figurative depictions that define space with concrete references, the spatial tension in Maurizio Valch’s painting 'STRATA VIII - TRIA' emerges from the contrast between a vast teal color field and the impactful presence of geometric crimson red forms. These forms, like monoliths, appear to float or anchor within a subtly incised horizon.

The artwork's materiality is built through a combination of acrylic and oil on canvas. Valch's process is evident in the rich surface textures: dense impasto in the upper section, glazes that lend depth to the lower field, and incised lines traversing the plane. These details are the result of palette knife application, scraping, and successive layering, evoking a geological landscape or a worked surface.

As part of the 'STRATA' series, this piece aligns with Maurizio Valch's exploration of territory as a surface of origin and memory. Here, the suspended blocks and horizontal lines function as 'strata' and 'spatial divisions.' They do not seek to illustrate a specific narrative but rather construct a space for contemplation, order, and fracture, inviting an open interpretation of matter, body, or a place of emergence within a sober and melancholic atmosphere.