Black Family 1989

This artwork, *Black Family* by Anton Heyboer, probably came into being through a dance of intention and accident. I can imagine the artist, with brush in hand, starting with that dense black field, a void from which the figures emerge. The strokes are broad and confident, but the red outlines are more tentative, searching. I wonder, was Heyboer thinking about connections, about how family members relate to one another within the darkness? Look at the texture, the way the black paint seems almost velvety in places. That contrast between the solid black and the fragile red lines is so affecting. It reminds me a little of Twombly, this sense of raw, unfiltered expression. Painting is just like this, an ongoing conversation between artists across time. We are forever picking up each other's threads, reworking old ideas, and discovering new possibilities. We try, we fail, we begin again.