Progression von Sechs Gleichen Gruppen von 1-11 1971

Richard Paul Lohse made this colorful, square artwork called Progression von Sechs Gleichen Gruppen von 1-11, and it's like a mathematical puzzle in paint. You can see how these colors interact and shift, creating movement that is both orderly and kind of dizzying. I imagine Lohse really thinking about the relationships between these colors. What was he thinking when he put that orange next to the blue? Did he know it would vibrate like that? I bet he was nerding out on color theory. The colors are so precise, each one perfectly flat and distinct. It makes me think of Josef Albers, who was also obsessed with how colors change depending on what they’re next to. But where Albers is subtle, Lohse is bold, almost joyful. All artists are in conversation with one another across time. It's like a big, ongoing game of telephone. We’re all borrowing, stealing, and riffing on what came before.