Expansion Geometry №2 2003

Charles Gibbons made “Expansion Geometry №2” with oil paint, and I can really get a sense of the painting process. There is something so direct and honest about the way the paint is applied to the panel. It's interesting how Gibbons allows the materiality of the paint to remain visible; it's neither hidden nor celebrated, but rather allowed to simply exist. The surface is fairly flat, yet the varying textures and viscosities of the paint create a kind of quiet dynamism. In some areas, the paint is thick and opaque, while in others, it's thin and translucent, allowing underlying layers to peek through. It feels like the kind of casual surface that emerges from a painting that's been knocked about the studio. I love the way he has introduced geometric elements with yellow, and a black line that feels like it has been pulled across the surface. There is something so intriguing about the way Gibbons lets his paintings embrace ambiguity, inviting us to linger in the realm of uncertainty and multiple meanings. His way of working reminds me of some of the painters in New York in the 1980s.