Corrosion Edict, Magic the Gathering card 2006

This is Corrosion Edict, a painting by Greg Hildebrandt, made for the card game Magic the Gathering. The mark making here is confident, direct, with no second guessing. And I see those blues, right, as a way to think about how painting is an emotional weather system. Hildebrandt's blues give the work its mood, and that central totem-like image, is a masterclass in textures. There are drips and blobs, and these pools of dark against the cooler blue create a whole ecosystem. Look at how those drips almost defy gravity, creating these weirdly balanced forms. It’s a great demonstration of how paint has a mind of its own and reminds me of the cartoon work of Philip Guston with it's dark palette. What’s so great is how this work embraces uncertainty. Painting is not just about what you intend, but about what the materials do, and how you respond.