Fluorescent Life Painting with Screens & Bath II 1968

Gary Wragg made "Fluorescent Life Painting with Screens & Bath II," and I reckon it’s all about how he puts paint down. It's like he's not just representing something, but he's showing you the very act of painting. Look at the surface – it’s alive! The colors don't sit still; they vibrate against each other. Wragg's not trying to hide anything; you can see the strokes, the layers, the way he’s pushed and pulled the paint around. It's thick in places, almost sculptural, and then thin and transparent in others, like watercolor. Take that splash of pink next to the black form at the top, it almost feels like a collision, doesn't it? Wragg reminds me of a slightly more controlled, British, version of Joan Mitchell – both aren't afraid to let the paint do its thing. It's less about what the painting is "about" and more about what it *does* to you when you stand in front of it. It’s a conversation, not a lecture, and it's one that's open to endless interpretations.