Colloque écologique 1972

Pierre Alechinsky made this painting, Colloque écologique, with acrylic on canvas. Can’t you just imagine the squish of the brush loading up with paint? The juicy blues and greens are built up in layers, fighting it out on the canvas. I feel like Alechinsky’s just letting it all hang out, you know? That looping, snaking form on the left really grabs me. It’s so playful and free, but there’s also this sense of searching, like it's trying to figure itself out as it goes along. I wonder if Alechinsky felt like he was in a similar conversation when he was making the painting. I’m reminded of artists like Joan Miró and André Masson. They were all trying to tap into something primal and unconscious. And I think that’s what I appreciate most about this piece. It’s a reminder that art is a conversation and that each painting can open up a whole new way of seeing and thinking.