Untitled 1939

Charles G. Shaw made this untitled painting on board, and it's a playful conversation in color and form. There’s an immediacy to the way the shapes are laid down, the process feels right there on the surface, not overworked. The texture is really interesting; that cracked white area makes me think about aged surfaces, like old plaster. The colors are muted, and create a certain depth, especially where the sharp lines intersect the soft blocks of color. There's a dialogue between precision and chance, control and release. I like the way the composition has these slightly off-kilter elements, which makes me think of Joan Miró's playful approach to abstraction. Shaw and Miró, both exploring the space between representation and pure form, reminds us that art is always an ongoing conversation. It’s not about fixed meanings, but about the questions we ask and the connections we make along the way.