December 1958 1958

Frank Lobdell made this painting, December 1958, with oil on canvas. It looks like he was wrestling with the dark, but in a good way. There's a real physicality to the paint, thick and almost clawed into the surface. Look at the upper left corner. The texture is so luscious, and there’s this little dab of orange that just sings. It’s a beacon in the night, right? The way Lobdell builds up the paint, it's like he's not just depicting something, but really digging into the process. It reminds me of Guston, especially how he embraced this raw, almost clumsy way of painting later in his career. Both of them show how art can be this ongoing, messy conversation. It’s never really about answers, just these great, beautiful questions.