My Montauk 1960

Larry Bell made ‘My Montauk’ and the colour palette is really pared back – just black and white. The black area in the centre feels like it has been built up with many layers of thin washes that almost give the impression of a photographic darkroom print slowly appearing. The white areas seem more dense and opaque, yet the shapes are irregular, almost like the dark central area is bleeding out into the white. I think of Agnes Martin's subtle, linear paintings when I look at ‘My Montauk,’ but there is something more aggressive or forceful here, which separates it from Martin's work. Ultimately art is a conversation, so it's fascinating to me to see these ideas echoing through time. Bell's work is a quiet scream!