Mexico VALLARTA 1984

Sean Scully made this watercolour, ‘Mexico Vallarta’, in 1983, and the simple blocks of colour really get you thinking about process. It’s all about layering, with those stripes building up, one next to the other. The colours are so interesting, the ochre, blue-green, and that kind of plum colour, they seem to sit on the surface of the paper, almost like they’re breathing. And the texture is so important, you can really see the way the watercolour bleeds and blends, especially in the plum-coloured stripes. There’s a kind of looseness to it that I really appreciate. See those pencil lines between the columns? They give it this quiet sense of structure. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, especially the way she uses subtle color and line to create these really meditative, almost spiritual spaces. With a nod to the way that abstract art can be a conversation, constantly echoing and responding across generations. It's more about the journey and the looking, than getting to a specific place.