Untitled 2015

This untitled oil painting was made by Etel Adnan, who was born in 1925, and it is, well, lovely. Adnan's approach to making art feels a bit like a conversation, a back and forth, as if she's trying to capture something essential with each stroke. Looking at the surface, you can see how the paint is applied in these confident, almost blocky areas. The paint isn't trying to hide itself; it’s thick and has a real physical presence. Check out the meeting of the orange and yellow blocks in the bottom half of the painting. The orange has a very slight peak, a crusty impasto. It's not blended to soften the distinction between the colours, but rather emphasizes the divide. Adnan’s work reminds me of the paintings of Milton Avery – the way he uses simplified forms and colour to create these evocative, dreamlike landscapes. Both artists have this incredible ability to suggest so much with so little, inviting us to fill in the gaps with our own experiences. The essence of painting, right? It's not about answers, but about embracing the mystery.