Untitled 1971

Ray Parker made this untitled painting using blocks of simple colour. It’s really about the process, the kind of dance you do with paint and form. You can see how the paint is applied flatly, almost like cut paper, with a sense of graphic ease. Look closely, and you'll see the texture of the canvas peeking through in places, reminding you that this is paint on a surface. The diamond, a bright daffodil yellow, anchors the whole composition, but it's not quite centered. That off-kilter placement gives the painting a kind of energy, a feeling that things are about to shift. There's something Matisse-like here, but also something very American, like Ellsworth Kelly. Ultimately, it's about the conversation between colours and shapes, and how that conversation can create a feeling, a mood, an experience. It's not about what it represents, but about what it does.