Catalogue #1 (Rouge-Crestet) 2000

Here's Pedro Cabrita Reis, sometime in the 21st century, exploring the power of simple form and color in *Catalogue #1 (Rouge-Crestet).* I imagine Reis, in his studio, surrounded by offcuts and considering arrangements like a puzzle. Look at those shapes, red against the white of the wall, circles and squares, each carefully positioned. What’s he thinking as he decides where each piece should go? Are they characters? Or modular forms to arrange and rearrange? The red feels both bold and considered, like a grounding element. You can almost feel the artist's hand in the selection and placement of each element, each shape a record of a decision. And isn't that what painting is all about? An ongoing conversation, each artist riffing on the ideas of those who came before. Reis builds on a visual language, but reconfigures it for a new time, a new way of seeing. It’s this ambiguity that keeps us looking, thinking, and feeling.