Untitled 1969

This is an untitled work from 1969 by Kazuo Shiraga. It looks as though he may have been experimenting with spray paint, or perhaps a diluted acrylic, to evoke an overwhelming wave of red that bursts from the top of the canvas. I can imagine him in his studio. Thinking about the Gutai movement, and how the material of paint can become something forceful, expressive, and urgent. I wonder if he layered up the colours here. Like how the orange at the bottom bleeds into the fierce red, grounding the work and creating a dialogue between light and dark, hot and cold. Then there is the ultramarine line which twists and turns. It appears to follow a mountain range, breaking up all that red with a playful dynamism. The work is a conversation, both within itself, and with other artists across time. Shiraga's work speaks to the emotional and physical possibilities of abstract painting. It's about gesture, feeling, and the sheer joy of creation.