Forêt convulsive 1974

Theo Gerber made this watercolor, "Forêt convulsive", in 1974. The way he builds up these cloudy, nebulous forms, it feels like artmaking for him was a kind of intuitive process, like he was channeling something. Looking at the surface, the watery grays and blacks create this sense of depth and shadow. It's like looking into an abyss, but then there are these flashes of pure color, these little rainbows and spots of white, that pull you back. There’s one particularly wild area near the center, a chaotic splatter of dark pigments, like a concentrated burst of energy or maybe a wound. It’s a total contrast to the smooth washes elsewhere, and it really catches the eye. Gerber reminds me a bit of Alfred Kubin, with that same interest in the grotesque and the surreal, but with a softer touch. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art is about exploring those in-between spaces, embracing the unresolved and finding beauty in the unexpected.