Untitled (Yellow, Red, and Black Circles for James Baldwin, Istanbul) 1966

Beauford Delaney made this untitled work in Istanbul using gouache, and it’s a wild dance of color and form. You know, looking at these circles and that squiggly black line, I get this sense of Delaney just letting loose, letting the painting happen rather than trying to control it. The gouache gives the colors a juicy, almost chalky quality. The yellow isn't just yellow; it's alive, vibrating. Then there's that black line snaking through the composition, thick and confident. It reminds me of a musical note, or maybe a thought taking shape on paper. It's like he’s channeling something, maybe a conversation with his friend James Baldwin, as the title suggests. Delaney's use of abstraction, the way he simplifies forms, is like a precursor to some of the later color field painters. But there’s also this raw, emotional quality that feels distinctly his own. This piece isn't about perfection; it's about the joy and struggle of seeing and feeling the world.