Living Flame 1954

This is Living Flame by Alfred Manessier. Looking at this print I imagine Manessier completely absorbed in the process. He's pushing and pulling the forms, maybe even surprised by the shapes that emerge. It's got this overall warm palette with reds and oranges. He's using contrasting colours to suggest a figure in the centre of the print. The forms seem to be reaching upwards, in a totem-like way. I can imagine Manessier making confident marks, a black line snakes and defines planes of colour. There's a dance between control and chance, a willingness to let the material lead. It’s like he's carving out space with each stroke. It reminds me a little of my own journey in painting, grappling with abstraction. Ultimately, artists are always in conversation, riffing off each other, and this print reminds us how uncertainty and ambiguity can be powerful tools for expression.