Untitled 1964

Herve Telemaque made this untitled work, probably a print, with bright pinks, yellows and greens, and some collage moments. I can imagine him in the studio, shifting shapes and forms in a playful exchange. Look at that silhouette of the figure in green. Is it a woman? I feel like this figure is striking a pose, maybe she’s a superhero, or maybe she’s just annoyed. Then, on the left, we see underwear and yellow abstract shapes that make me think of a cubist landscape, or maybe just an interior scene. These objects suggest an ambiguous narrative, like a scene from a dream. It reminds me of other artists, like Jim Nutt and Elizabeth Murray, who embraced comic and surreal imagery. All of these artists are in constant conversation, riffing on each other's ideas and approaches, trying to figure out how to see and feel through their work. Painting allows us to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, and to revel in the multiple layers of meaning that can emerge from a single work of art.