Shapes Group 1987

Robert Goodnough assembled this painting called Shapes Group from small, colorful, triangular shapes, and when I look at it, I think about the act of painting itself. It seems like it emerged through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Goodnough, imagining him surrounded by these little shapes, moving them around until they formed a pleasing whole. The material aspects of painting—texture, color, and surface—really shape our experience here. The paint is applied thinly, allowing the canvas to breathe. The way these shapes come together, their direction and density, communicate movement, like leaves scattering in the wind. This piece relates to Goodnough's wider practice, where he often explored abstract forms in dynamic compositions, continuing a conversation with other painters across time. These shapes allow for multiple interpretations, and the ambiguity is part of the appeal.