Le Sombre Malembo, Dieu du carrefour 1943

Wifredo Lam created "Le Sombre Malembo, Dieu du carrefour" with paint on canvas. Look at the almost-monochrome field of green, punctuated by ochre, red and white. The paint application here is very physical, there’s a sense of building the image through layered marks and forms. I want to think about that strange black shape in the centre. The darkest tone in the painting, it really pulls the eye, its density throwing the surrounding colors into contrast. The painting isn't completely abstract but it’s not exactly a clear picture of something, is it? It makes me think of Francis Picabia and his use of biomorphic form. Like Picabia, Lam embraces the ambiguous. "Le Sombre Malembo, Dieu du carrefour" is an invitation to find your own story amongst its shapes and forms.