Composition in Black & Ochre 1957

Adja Yunkers made this painting in black and ochre, playing with the idea of colour relationships. The way he’s handled the paint is interesting, it's like he’s feeling his way through the process, letting the materials lead. There’s a real physicality to this piece; you can see the texture, the build-up of paint, the way the colours interact. The surface isn’t smooth or polished, it’s raw, like a conversation between the artist and the canvas. Look at how the ochre scrapes across that central pink ground. You can almost see Yunkers’ arm moving, deciding, changing his mind. That mark speaks to the entire work, its all about the process. Yunkers reminds me a bit of Guston. Both unafraid to let their work be messy, unresolved. It's more about the journey, the exploration, than arriving at some fixed destination. Art like this reminds us that it’s okay to embrace ambiguity, to let multiple interpretations coexist.