Untitled (Red) 1999

Phil Sims made this ‘Untitled (Red)’ painting, and for me, it's all about how a single color can be so, so complex. Sims lets the paint do its thing. It’s not just red; it's a field of reds, a subtle landscape of tone. There are no tricks here, no hidden images, just pure color, pure process. You can see how he’s layered the paint, how each stroke builds on the last, creating a surface that hums with energy. Look closely, and you might see where the brush lingered a little longer, where the pigment settled a bit thicker. The edges of the square are so sharp, they almost vibrate. This piece reminds me a little of Ad Reinhardt, who also chased after the sublime through simplicity. But where Reinhardt was all about darkness, Sims embraces the light. Both artists remind us that art isn’t about answers, it’s about questions, about opening up new ways of seeing and feeling the world.