Arnoldi’s work speaks parenthetically. His curved lines envelop the idea of formalist construction, while simultaneously projecting the idea outward to the viewer for further introspection. We are confronted by his clever use of color and movement. Although simplistic in form, these complex concepts are only successful visually when executed by the most experienced of painters. For over thirty years Arnoldi has dealt with the interplay of these ideas in art. He began these pursuits scholastically at first, but quickly abandoned these teaching methods in favor of his own inspiration. Playing outsider did get him in the door of many prominent collections including The Art Institute of Chicago, Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

His work hangs theoretically next to the likes of Mark Rothko or Piet Mondrain, but stands alone in its unique attention to detail. His fields of color are accented with thoughtful visual interruptions. Shades of grey poke through iris blue, grape hides beneath a sheet of turquoise. These gestures help to qualify the grander concepts behind simplicity, known in art as modernity.

While his paintings do attempt to explain, they leave the bigger picture up to the viewer. We are confronted with an intricate web of puzzle pieces, finely crafted into one total work of art. Our minds can envision the pulling and pushing of these parts, a testament to the ongoing struggle of getting comfortable in the web of modern art—challenging, intricate and beautiful.