Empress 1982

Albert Irvin made this painting, Empress, with a riot of color and bold strokes, like a party on canvas. There’s something about the way Irvin attacks the canvas – the physical engagement, the smears and splatters – that feels so immediate. Look at that big red shape, almost like a mountain, built up from so many smaller gestures. The paint is applied thickly, almost as if he’s sculpting with it. It’s not just about seeing, but feeling the energy of the artist, you know? Then there are the contrasting horizontal bands, grounding the explosion of color above. Irvin reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, in the way both artists create these vibrant, emotional landscapes, but Irvin’s palette feels uniquely his own. There’s a joyful, almost defiant embrace of color here. It’s like he’s saying, ‘Why choose when you can have it all?'