Color Test 1987

Friedel Dzubas made this, Color Test, with brushstrokes of layered hues; the painting seems to have come into being gradually as a result of intuitive gestures. It's hard not to feel sympathy for artists like Dzubas, as they are so exposed by their medium. The act of painting is laid bare for all to see, leaving a record of each shift and decision. I can imagine Dzubas standing in front of the canvas, brush in hand, weighing options as each stroke leaves a trace, building up the surface. The paint appears to be thinned and brushed out, almost stained into the canvas, allowing the color to speak. The brushstrokes are quite gestural, communicating feeling and movement, as if Dzubas sought to capture the very essence of each color. Color Test reminds me of the work of other painters like Helen Frankenthaler, who were also experimenting with new ways of applying paint to canvas, pushing the boundaries of what painting could be. Artists are constantly in conversation with one another across time, inspiring new forms of expression. Painting embraces ambiguity, and it’s exciting how multiple meanings can be created from this.