Venetian Glow 1959

Peter Busa made this unnamed oil painting, Venetian Glow, using an approach to mark-making that feels like the process is the point. I love how the colours aren't shy – it's all about the material. You can see the texture, the way the paint sits on the surface. It's thick in places, almost sculptural, and then thin and transparent in others, creating this push-and-pull effect. Look at the dark, almost black marks in the center. They feel like a shadow, but also a solid form, adding depth and mystery. The way Busa uses these heavy marks against the softer, glowing colours is what gives the painting its energy. Busa was part of a generation grappling with abstraction and surrealism and you could just as easily compare this to de Kooning as you could Guston. But ultimately, art is an ongoing dialogue. It’s not about finding one right answer, but embracing the multiple possibilities, the ambiguity that makes it so alive.