Untitled c. 1955

Franz Kline made this energetic painting with ink on paper. I just love the immediacy of it, the gestural strokes, and the contrast between the stark black ink and the creamy off-white paper. You can almost feel Kline's hand moving across the surface, building up these bold, intersecting lines. There's something so direct about it, like he's capturing a fleeting moment or a burst of energy. I can imagine Kline thinking about calligraphy as he painted, or maybe about architecture—the way the beams of a building intersect and support each other. It reminds me of what Cy Twombly was doing around the same time. That one bold stroke slashing diagonally – it feels like a decisive act, a moment of clarity amidst the chaos of creation. And those faint circular marks in the top corner, did he make those with the bottom of a glass? Whatever they are, they give the work an off-beat sense of humour. Artists like Kline create openings for other artists, and they are all in conversation with each other. Painting is just so good for that!