Io 1973

Norman Bluhm made this painting, Io, with oil on canvas. You can almost feel Bluhm's presence in this piece, right? I can imagine him there in the studio, maybe with some jazz playing, laying down these luscious strokes of colour. Look at the way that pale yellow form hovers above the deeper blue, there's a real sense of movement, like shapes floating in and out of focus, and the surface feels smooth, creamy almost. The blue is particularly striking, a bold statement anchoring the composition. I'm thinking of other artists like Joan Mitchell, who also used colour so expressively. There’s a kind of dialogue happening across time. Ultimately, this painting is an open-ended conversation. It's not about answers, but about possibilities, and how each artist keeps the conversation flowing.