The Clock 1951

Karl Knaths made The Clock with oil on canvas and, looking at the marks, you can see how he built it up, layer by layer, like constructing a building from blocks. The colors are bold and direct, primary reds and blues. The paint isn't trying to fool you into thinking it's anything other than paint; it sits right there on the surface, thick in some places, almost translucent in others. See that clock face, how it’s just a rough circle, but it works? It’s like he’s saying, "I’m not trying to trick you. This is paint, this is a clock, but it’s also something else." It’s about time, sure, but it’s also about how we see, how we put things together in our minds. The more I look at Knaths, the more I think of Stuart Davis, another American painter who took the everyday world and turned it into something both familiar and strange. Both artists remind us that art isn't about answers; it’s about asking questions, seeing things in new ways, and embracing the beautiful messiness of it all.