Untitled 1965

Eva Hesse’s 'Untitled' painting, with its curious shapes and muted palette, feels like a peek into her artistic mind. I can imagine Hesse, brush in hand, exploring what forms could emerge. The colors are applied in thin layers, almost like watercolor, building up to create depth. Look at the way she’s divided the canvas into these little worlds, each with its own set of rules. It’s almost like a comic book of abstract forms. There’s a playful quality to it, too, like she’s inviting us to decode her visual language. Hesse was always pushing the boundaries of sculpture, but here, in painting, she seems to be stripping things back to their essence. I think that she and so many artists who came after her were involved in the same creative process, trying out new things, and inspiring each other.