Untitled (08.B.0032) 2008

Gunther Forg made this untitled painting in 2008 with loose marks of colour on a pale ground, and I can almost feel the movement of his hand as he worked. There’s a kind of provisionality here, each stroke distinct but also part of a larger, almost musical composition. It’s like he’s sketching with paint, thinking out loud, maybe riffing on the casualness of Twombly, but with a uniquely German sensibility. Look at the range of greens, reds, and purples – they aren’t blended, but placed side by side so the eye mixes them. I imagine Forg in his studio, stepping back, squinting, and then diving in again with another loaded brush. He's not trying to make a picture of anything, but trying to make a picture, if you know what I mean. These gestures feel honest and unrehearsed, connecting him to a lineage of painters exploring the act of painting itself. I’m inspired by how artists continually find new ways to explore the medium, enriching our collective visual language.