Mexico MELAQUE 1983

Sean Scully made this watercolor, Mexico MELAQUE, on paper in 1983. The watercolor has a clear structure of horizontal and vertical bars in a limited palette of colors, and it feels like an exercise in pure process. It's got these juicy rectangles stacked on top of each other. Scully is working with the materiality of watercolor, letting the colors bleed and blend, especially in the green and yellow sections. Look at the imperfections in the brushstrokes, the way the colors pool and settle. This feels very human, very much about the hand. Even though there are a lot of straight lines, the piece manages to feel imperfect, even a little wonky. The red and yellow stripes give it a warm, earthy vibe. The red is a bit translucent, letting the white of the paper peek through. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin's grids, but with more body, more… attitude. It's like Scully is saying, "Yeah, I can do minimal, but I'm gonna make it messy and real." Art is a conversation, right? Scully's definitely chiming in.