15 April 1962 1962

Frank Lobdell made this on canvas sometime around April 1962, and it feels like I can see him working away in his studio! The painting seems to have come into being through shifting layers of marks and colors. The ochre palette and the surface feel warm, sun-drenched, maybe even a bit desert-like. It's like a personal landscape. I can imagine Lobdell standing back, squinting, then stepping in to make a quick slash or dab with a brush. The paint doesn’t look too thick, but you can still get a sense of the texture underneath. There’s this looping red line near the top that’s so elegant. It gives the whole painting a sense of movement, like a thought that keeps circling back on itself. Lobdell was part of a generation of artists who were in dialogue with each other about what painting could be. He took cues from the surrealists and expressionists before him, but also forged his own path. Painting is a conversation that we all get to participate in. It's an act of looking, feeling, and responding. What does it make you feel?