Untitled 1964

This untitled piece by Larry Bell presents a bronze framed glass cube sitting on a glass plinth. Bell's process seems to be about layering – not just colors but also the experience of seeing. He coaxes the material to do things, the colors seem to bleed and shift depending on your perspective. Up close, the surface invites you in, revealing a play of light and reflection that feels almost alive. The rings that traverse the faces of the cube shift in color like a mood ring, they are opaque in some places and allow light to travel through in others. Bell’s work reminds me a bit of Robert Irwin, also playing with perception and space. His work also embraces a certain ambiguity, inviting us to question what we see and how we see it. It’s like he’s saying, "Hey, seeing is not just about what’s out there, but also about what’s in here," pointing to our own minds.