O41 - 69 1969

Fernando Lanhas made this painting, titled O41 – 69, with paint, and it's really something. Lanhas is playing with this sort of pale, muted palette, like the colours have been sitting out in the sun for a while. It gives the painting a sense of quiet, like it's whispering to you instead of shouting. Now, look at how the paint sits on the surface. It's not thick and gloopy, but more like a stain, almost transparent in places. You can see the texture of the canvas underneath, which I love. It reminds me that painting is always a process of layering, of building up and stripping back. And check out that big, swooping curve there on the right! It's so simple, but it holds the whole painting together, like a question mark hanging in the air. It almost reminds me of Agnes Martin, in the way it uses simple shapes and colours to create a feeling of openness and possibility. It leaves you with that sense that anything could happen next. And that, my friends, is the beauty of art, isn't it?