High Society 1960

Bram Bogart made "High Society" with paint, and probably a trowel or two. What grabs me here is the sheer physicality of it all. This isn't just paint on a surface; it's paint *as* surface. Look at the impasto, that thick, almost sculptural application of paint in the upper third. It’s like Bogart was building with the stuff, not just coloring. It's so tactile; I want to reach out and feel those peaks and valleys, see how the light catches those rugged formations. Down below, those horizontal drags of the palette knife. There’s this real tension between control and abandon, a dialogue between the artist's intention and the unpredictable nature of the medium itself. It brings Eva Hesse to mind, maybe because both artists aren't afraid to push their materials to the absolute limit. Is it painting? Is it sculpture? Does it even matter? It's a record of a process, of a mind grappling with matter, and that's what makes it so compelling.