Prison Gray 1961

Andre Masson made this painting called Prison Gray, but we don't know when or with what. I see layers and layers of wispy, greyish marks, and little figures caught inside what looks like cages or cells. You can almost see him making it, right? The hand moving across the canvas, adding another layer, obscuring some of the figures but never quite covering them up. I wonder if he felt trapped like he was in a prison when he was painting this. Maybe the act of painting was a way to break free? The brushstrokes are so light but so many of them, you can tell he has something to say. It makes me think about other painters like Guston who also use simple forms to express complex emotions. In the end, we’re all just trying to figure things out, and painting is one way we talk to each other across time.