The contemporary, energetic, emotive and colourful work of Polles carries many recognisable influences. Bacon, Dubuffet, De Kooning and Pollock among the more obvious. Italian-trained and globally exhibited Polles has absorbed and digested virtually the entire pantheon of modern masters. A Polles painting may involve deep personal introspection but he is entirely easy about revealing his experience and sources, whilst also pursuing his own, uninhibited, far from pretentious, consuming passions. There seems small point in discussing Polles psychologically involved work in term of painterly technique. What he is compelled to express is an integral. Inseparable part of how. Like a top-grade musician Polles is concerned with Soul. It is, similarly, part of his art that he makes difficult, in Brisbane especially not to find coincidental echoes of Davida Allen in Polles’ output. Polles’ European reputation compares with Allen’s in Australia, and is tempting to imagine that a strong press and media could bring Polles the wide and enthusiastic public he merits. Claudio Polles, the man – possesses deep reserve of charm and humour, naturally these qualities are immediately evident in his charismatic and disarmingly sophisticated work.

Norman Ingram