E 226 1955

Rupprecht Geiger made E 226 with paint, sometime in the last century. It's all warm colors, oranges and reds and yellows, a landscape on fire, or maybe a sunset seen through sunglasses. I can imagine Geiger standing in front of the canvas, armed with brushes and a palette knife, coaxing the colors to life. He's making decisions, like, how do I make this red rock float? What temperature should that be? I think that little blue horizon is what makes the whole thing sing. There's a real conversation happening here, and in a way, he's talking to all the other painters who've ever tried to capture light and space. It reminds me of Rothko, but somehow more optimistic, a little more pop. It's like he's saying, "Hey, let's see what happens if we push color to its absolute limit," and I'm here for it.