Stretch of Black III 1961

Leon Polk Smith made this "Stretch of Black III" painting with oil on canvas. I love how he commits to these big, flat areas of colour; it feels so decisive! You can see and feel the texture of the canvas, which is kind of rough, especially in the black area. The paint isn't trying to hide itself, which creates an immediacy, as though the painting was completed in one sitting. Look closely at the way the orange meets the black – it's not a perfect line, is it? There are small variations and slight imperfections. These slight wobbly bits are what gives it life! Thinking about other artists, I am reminded of Ellsworth Kelly, who was also interested in abstraction and colour, but I feel like Smith has a more playful approach; an embracing of the handmade. It reminds us that art is a conversation, a back and forth of ideas and ways of seeing.