Royal Blue 2010

Rashid Al Khalifa made this artwork called Royal Blue, and you can see, it's all about the act of painting itself. The colour palette is so reductive, such a specific take on blue! It is almost like he has asked, what can I do with this blue? How can I explore this shade and the feeling that it creates? The texture is really interesting, because the background is flat, almost like a wall and then, running over it, are these lines, which have so much variation. They're thick in places, thin in others, some are white, some are blue, some are even gold. This creates a real sense of depth and movement, like a rain of colour. Look at the way these lines interact. Some appear to be in front of others, some merge into the background, and this is just so cool, such an investigation into the nature of layering. It reminds me of Agnes Martin, but if she’d gone wild with the impasto. And, for me, that's what makes art interesting, those conversations and unexpected connections across time.