Agony 1947

Arshile Gorky made this painting called 'Agony' with oil on canvas, at a time when he was really pushing the boundaries of abstraction, still alluding to a sense of representation. Look at how Gorky works with color here. The browns and reds, that fleshy palette, set a somber mood, which is kind of apt given the title. But then there are these brighter hits of yellow, pink, and white that bring an unexpected, almost unsettling energy to the canvas. There's this interplay between control and abandon, especially noticeable in the linear elements. See that black, stem-like line near the bottom left, holding a red pool? It feels both precise and spontaneous, like Gorky was thinking through feeling. Gorky really looked at Miro, and you can see that. Yet, his work also speaks to later painters who grappled with similar issues of form and emotion, like de Kooning. In the end, ‘Agony’ remains open, a space where we can bring our own feelings.