Untitled 1974

This untitled painting by Clyfford Still, now hanging at SFMOMA, is a real trip. Looking at it, I feel like Still was really in the zone, you know? The way the paint drips down, especially those big, jagged yellow shapes, makes me think about letting go and just letting the material do its thing. There’s something so raw and immediate about it. I can almost feel the brushstrokes, the weight of the paint, the sheer physicality of his process. Then there’s the ground of white marks which seems to shimmer beneath the primary shapes, creating a field of visual tension. It reminds me a little of Joan Mitchell’s work, that same sense of energy and abstraction, but with a darker, more brooding edge. Ultimately, this piece is a reminder that art is always an experiment, a conversation, and a wild, beautiful mess.