Cosmos N°3 1977

Martha Boto made Cosmos N°3 with paint, and perhaps a ruler, sometime in the 20th century. I imagine her, perhaps, patiently applying thin layers of pigment, one ring at a time. There’s a real quietness to this painting, yet it’s also so dynamic. Like the best Op Art, it has a strange sense of movement. It feels as if the forms are pulsating, expanding and contracting before our eyes. The blue section, with its darker edges, really does give the impression of a vast, unknowable space. And then there’s that little floating green ball! It's got such a playful, slightly absurd quality about it. Boto was clearly interested in the effects of light and motion. You know, it reminds me a little of some of Bridget Riley’s paintings, but also some of those mad kinetic sculptures by the Venezuelan artist, Jesus Rafael Soto. Artists are always in conversation with one another, aren't they?