Variant/Adobe: Southern Climate 1948

Josef Albers made *Variant/Adobe: Southern Climate* with oil on masonite—which is kind of an odd choice to paint on, but painters are always experimenting! I can only imagine Albers, carefully layering one hue upon another. It’s so methodically done. He was really interested in the way colors interact, how they change depending on what they're next to. The yellows and oranges feel warm, maybe even a bit sun-baked. They're not screaming for attention, but humming quietly like earth tones do. You can sense Albers meditating over the surface of the painting. These color block paintings put me in mind of Agnes Martin's grids, or even the minimalist sculptures of Donald Judd. Artists riffing off one another’s ideas, seeing where they can take things next. I love how painting can be both so simple and so complex. There’s always more to see, more to feel, more to think about.