Négal 1943

Here is the audio guide entry for Négal: Carmelo Arden Quin made Négal using paint on canvas, but it doesn’t look like most paintings, does it? The frame is part of the work, and it’s got a cool, jagged edge. That sets the stage for what’s inside: blocks of color playing together. There's something both careful and playful in the way Quin has applied these colors. The surfaces are smooth, the edges sharp, which gives the whole thing a very definite, almost architectural feel. Look at that black, anchoring it all, then the pink, green, yellow and grey which seem to float above the black, interacting with one another. I think of people like Piet Mondrian and the Bauhaus artists when I see this. They were all trying to figure out how to make art that wasn't just about representing things, but about creating new ways of seeing and feeling. It's not so much about what it means, but about how it makes you feel and what you start to think about. It’s a jumping-off point, not a final destination.