The Art of Unnaming: The Philosophy of Laura Alunni Abstract Art

Sometimes, the true conversation happens here in the grain of the canvas, the body of the paint, and the layers of color.

It begins with a whisper, not a word. The true conversation in my art happens in the quiet spaces—in the deep grain of the canvas, the weight and body of the paint, and the silent dialogue between layers of color. It’s a language felt before it is understood.

“To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.”— Paul Valéry

This single, powerful idea from Paul Valéry has been more than an inspiration; it is the manifesto that guides my journey in abstraction. It’s the very reason the core of Laura Alunni abstract art exists: to un-name the world in order to truly see it.

From childhood, we are taught to build a world of words. We learn to name, categorize, and define everything we encounter: a tree, a cloud, a face, a feeling. But with each label we apply, we trade an experience for a shortcut, and soon, that shortcut becomes a blindfold. We stop seeing the shimmer of light on the leaves and see only the category "tree." We stop feeling the raw vibration of joy and feel only the dull shape of the word itself. My work is a rebellion against this. It is a return to the original, pre-verbal encounter. It is about feeling, not defining; remembering, not explaining.

Unnaming Art: Where My Work Begins Beyond Language

As I mention in my biography, words have always felt incomplete. For all their structure and perceived clarity, they could never hold the raw, textured honesty of what I needed to express. This is why every piece I create begins not with a sketch, but with silence. With listening. With a complete surrender to the moment.

The process is not one of depiction, but of dialogue. It is a conversation with memory, a negotiation with the materials themselves, and an exploration of the emotional tension between structure and chaos, form and dissolution. Every brushstroke is an intuitive response, guided by the profound belief that what remains unspoken is not empty, but endlessly deep. This is the foundational abstract art philosophy that underpins every canvas.

The Invisible Portrait: Laura Alunni Abstract Art in "Echoes of An Inner Atlas"

This philosophy is the beating heart of my series, “Echoes of An Inner Atlas.” These works are not portraits in the traditional sense; you will find no physical likenesses here. Instead, they are attempts to paint the invisible. They are my efforts to capture the unique aura of a presence, the texture of a soul, the way a person's energy might feel if it could be translated into color and form.

A face can lie. A name can mislead. But energy ( that subtle, magnetic resonance that surrounds us) speaks with unfiltered clarity and depth. My aim as an artist is to make that energy visible, to create a space on the canvas where a viewer can experience something deeply intimate without being told what it is.

A Shared Act of Seeing: An Invitation to You

When you stand before one of my paintings, I invite you to do one thing: forget. Not to erase your knowledge, but to let go of the need to name and define.

Don’t ask, “What is this supposed to be?” Instead, ask, “What do I feel?”

Let your senses lead the way.

Follow the deliberate path of a line as it cuts across the canvas. Listen to the friction and harmony between two meeting colors. Let the rich texture of the paint speak to your fingertips. Allow the composition to move you, whether it brings you peace or unsettling energy. What memory surfaces unexpectedly? What sensation emerges without a name?

That is the moment the artwork becomes whole. It is completed not by my hand, but in your gaze. It exists in the space between my gesture and your perception. A connection beyond language. A shared, honest moment of seeing. For me, the purpose of Laura Alunni abstract art is to create these moments of return—a slowing down, a peeling back of thought, and a descent into pure, unadulterated presence. It is the act of un-naming our world, so that we might finally experience it, and ourselves, anew.

Laura Alunni

Contemporary Abstract Artist

Perugia, Italy