Black Garland 2011

Sam Gilliam's "Black Garland" is a dance of color and form, unfurling like a vibrant dream. Imagine Gilliam, armed with pigment and purpose, coaxing these hues into existence. He's not just painting, he's wrestling with the very fabric of the canvas, maybe even stapling the painted canvas to the wall. See how the blacks bleed into blues and pinks? It’s like watching dusk kiss dawn. I can almost feel him stepping back, squinting, turning the canvas, deciding where to let the colors flow and where to hold them back. This isn't just about color; it's about gravity, about the push and pull between control and chance. Gilliam, like many artists, is in conversation with the greats, tipping his hat to the Abstract Expressionists, but then twisting their language into something utterly his own. "Black Garland" becomes a testament to the ongoing dialogue that is art history, where each brushstroke is both an echo and a revolution.