Untitled 1970

Luchita Hurtado painted this, like so many of her pieces, without a date. It's a cool blue sky, a pale moon, and buttery dunes. I wonder how long Hurtado sat with this image in her head before committing it to canvas. I think about the physical act of making something like this, so serene and still. The way the paint is applied, not too thick, not too thin, just right, like a Goldilocks of mark-making. And the color! That ochre is a real conversation starter. It’s like she's whispering, "Hey, remember Rothko? But what if… desert?" You know, artists are always talking to each other, across time, across space. We borrow, we steal, we riff, and we try to make it new. Hurtado is part of that chain, that never-ending game of telephone. Her paintings are an invitation to join the conversation, to bring your own experiences and feelings to the table. There's no right or wrong way to see it, just your way.