Union c. 1940

Tom A. Robertson made this print, titled 'Union', working between fields of yellow, green, red, and black to conjure a sense of merging. I imagine the artist layering each color, maybe stippling or dabbing the ink onto the plate. The title, 'Union', suggests a meeting of minds or bodies. It's intriguing how the forms are abstract yet evocative, and how the colors shift and blend. Looking at it, I feel like I'm witnessing a quiet, intimate moment between two figures. I wonder if Robertson was thinking about relationships, connections, or perhaps the blending of different aspects within oneself. There's a tenderness in the way the forms seem to lean into each other, supporting and embracing. The glowing colors soften the edges, and that single bright line gives hope, like the light at the end of the tunnel. All painters have a conversation with each other, whether they know it or not. Robertson's 'Union' might echo some of Matisse’s color experiments, or even Rothko’s explorations of the sublime. Each artist contributes their voice to the ongoing, boundless dialogue that defines the art world.