Symbol of Flowers 1951

Forrest Bess made this painting called ‘Symbol of Flowers’ with oil on canvas, but the exact date is unknown. You can see how the marks are laid down one after the other, like building blocks, each individual gesture or choice piling up to create the finished piece. I’m especially drawn to the way Bess layered the paint. The bottom of the painting is filled with vertical strokes of red, which look almost like blades of grass, and this field is interrupted by thin vertical streaks of black, and creamy yellow. Up above, there is a row of black circles sitting on a red horizon line, under a bright white sky. What I love about Bess’s work is how raw and unapologetic it is. It reminds me a little of Hilma af Klint, with the way she used painting as a tool to explore esoteric ideas. It feels like Bess is sharing his innermost thoughts and feelings with us, and I really admire that.