Untitled 1963

Robert Ryman made this painting with white paint and a brush, probably more than one, on a square canvas. Imagine him, stepping back, squinting, loading the brush again, and covering pretty much the whole surface with creamy strokes. There are glimpses of other colors, muted greens and browns, which might be earlier layers, or underpainting, like he was testing grounds and ideas. What was Ryman thinking? Perhaps about the texture, the surface, the way light hits it? It's not just about the color white, but about the physicality of applying paint, the action of the arm, the pressure of the brush. Painters like Ryman, Agnes Martin, or even Brice Marden, are all in conversation. They speak the language of abstraction, pushing its boundaries, questioning what a painting can be. In the end, Ryman is reminding us that painting is a form of embodied expression, a way of thinking, and a sensual, poetic experience.