Untitled 1965

Shozo Shimamoto made this untitled work with paint, and you can see how process is at the heart of it all. The surface is built up with layers and layers of color, pooling into something almost geological. Look at the way the colors band together, the thick impasto of yellow, green, and blue, like rings in a tree trunk that's been turned on its side. I wonder what tool he used? There is a real physicality to this piece, and the gesture is so present; the way the paint has been applied speaks of action, chance, and risk. The red center is like a beating heart, and the whole piece feels alive, like it's still in the process of becoming. It reminds me a little of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, but with a punk-rock energy. Art is a constant conversation.