Last Star 2006

Jack Armstrong made 'Last Star' with paint, sometime during his career, but we don't know exactly when. What grabs me first is this almost primal energy in the colours and the application. There's a real sense of immediacy, like Armstrong was chasing something urgent. Looking closer, the paint's texture is so alive. Thick in some places, like the sun bleeding into red, and then these thin, frantic scribbles elsewhere. I love how the yellow and red seem to fight for space, while the blue acts as an accent. It's messy, chaotic, but also kind of controlled. Notice the drippy quality of the red as it oozes out of the circle, feels deliberate, like a release. It makes me think a little of Twombly, but more raw, maybe Basquiat too, with that same kind of untamed spirit. It's like Armstrong is having a conversation with the canvas. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t have to be neat, it can be a messy, beautiful explosion.