Magic Mountain 2016

Albrecht Behmel made this painting, Magic Mountain, and the title gives you a clue about what you're seeing. The way the paint is applied makes me think of a puzzle, each piece fitted carefully into the next, and the black outlines do a lot of the work. The painting is packed with detail, yet there's also a sense of openness created by the large areas of light blue. Look at the lower-left; there’s a cluster of red, yellow and white shapes outlined in black, it almost looks like a crowd. The paint isn't thick or thin, it's just right, like the artist knew when to stop. You can almost feel him puzzling over which color goes where, making decisions as he goes. It reminds me a little of Guston’s later work, that same playful, almost cartoonish feel, and the sense of the artist working things out on the canvas, one shape at a time. Like there's no real 'answer' just a process.