Henrique VIII 1966

Menez made this painting, Henrique VIII, with what looks like oil and maybe pastel too; you can see it in the creamy colours and blurred edges that almost evaporate off the canvas. Imagine Menez composing the artwork and building up the planes. The painting comes into being stroke by stroke, mark by mark, the artist changing and shifting. I can see the artist layering shades of red, green, and pink, smudging and blending the colours together to create soft transitions and diffused edges. The thin paint makes for soft shapes and an eerie atmosphere. See that red mark? What could that red mark be? Is it a hat? Is it an idea? I can feel the artist’s presence in every gesture, an intimate record of a moment in time. I like to think of art-making as a collective practice – it’s an ongoing exchange between artists, across generations. We are all constantly learning from and inspiring one another’s creativity. The painting is a conversation.