Swithering A painting made by negation. Things more painted out than in. A painting made out of doubt and indecision. It sat in its current state for a year at...
A painting made by negation. Things more painted out than in. A painting made out of doubt and indecision. It sat in its current state for a year at least, before I decided it was finished. That it couldn’t be any other way. It felt like one of those paintings found on the easel of a dead painter, the last one they were working on.
Picasso berated Bonnard for his inability to make his mind up; he was “a Pot-pourri of indecision.” He seemed to forgive Cezanne for his doubt. I see it as a useful thing mostly. Ambivalence and ambiguity can be your friend. The dog is leaving the painting, the ship just entering sailing past the shape of an island, possibly the Bass rock. Is it?
A scuffed mark on the concrete, a spillage of some sort, or worn away paint. The ironwork of the balcony painted many times, gaining a hesitancy, less solidity. I thought of the cartoon style of Rhubarb and Custard. And of course Matisse, those Nice paintings.