Untitled [Abstract] 1973

Willem de Looper made this untitled abstract painting on paper, and I’m struck by how the washes of gold and turquoise create a sense of depth and light. I can imagine De Looper, brush in hand, coaxing these colors to blend and shift, allowing the painting to emerge almost organically. The central form, like an arched doorway or a hazy reflection, invites you into a space that feels both familiar and dreamlike. It makes me think of Agnes Martin’s subtle grids and Rothko’s layered color fields. The texture is so delicate, almost a whisper on the surface. It’s as if De Looper wanted to capture a fleeting moment or a fragile emotion. The brushwork around the edges is more assertive, grounding the ethereal quality of the central space. Painters, we’re all in conversation with each other, aren’t we? Trying to make something new out of the same old stuff: paint, canvas, and a whole lot of feeling. And this piece, it feels like a quiet but powerful statement in that ongoing dialogue.