Agmont 1981

Friedel Dzubas made this painting, Agmont, with strokes of thinned-down acrylic in a range of light blues, yellows, and oranges. I can imagine him standing in front of this canvas—maybe laid out on the floor—dipping his brush into washes of color and sweeping it across the surface. Look at how these loose, cloud-like forms overlap and interact! You can almost see how one mark led to the next, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I wonder if Dzubas knew where he was going with this piece, or if he allowed the painting to guide him. The way he blends and blurs the edges makes the surface feel soft and atmospheric. See how the light seems to glow from within? It reminds me of Helen Frankenthaler and other color field painters who were exploring similar ideas at the time. Painters are always in dialogue with one another across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. And with abstract painting in particular, there’s room for multiple interpretations and meanings. We can just sink into it!