For Men Only – Starring MM and BB 1961

Peter Phillips made this painting “For Men Only – Starring MM and BB” with, what looks like, a flat application of color. Can you imagine him there in the studio, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition? I sympathize with Phillips, a Pop artist. What must it have been like, at that time, making paintings like this one, with bright, flat colors? The paint seems thin, and so the surface emphasizes the image and contributes to the emotional resonances of the work. Look at the hard edge shapes—they communicate an intention to break down the barriers between abstraction and representation. He's pushing the boundaries of painting and incorporating all kinds of imagery. I think this piece relates to the work of other Pop painters. I love how artists are in conversation with each other across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Here we have an embodied expression which embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.