Air & Water 1982

Brice Marden made "Air & Water" with oil and wax on paper. What strikes me about this work is the way Marden has manipulated his materials to create these luminous, subtly shifting fields of color. The paint isn’t troweled on thick, but you can see the hand of the artist at work in the slight variations in texture and tone. The top part of the canvas has this warm yellow hue, and it feels like light breaking through clouds. Then your eyes travels to the second part of the canvas where there’s this grounding dark blue. It's easy to get lost in the nuances of color and surface. Marden's work reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, who explored the grid and subtle color in her paintings, though Marden brings a sensuousness and physicality to his surfaces that is all his own. Ultimately, "Air & Water" is a reminder that painting is about more than just representation; it’s about the experience of seeing and feeling the world around us.