Yellow Painting: October 1958 May/June 1959 1959

Patrick Heron made Yellow Painting: October 1958 May/June 1959 with oil paint to make this abstract exploration of form and color. The material qualities of this piece are so present. The brushstrokes are visible, like tracks in the paint, particularly in that warm yellow ground that feels more green than yellow. The texture gives it a real sense of depth, and the layering of colors creates these moments where the painting seems to glow from within. Take a look at the way he's handled the edges of those shapes – there's a fuzziness there, a real push and pull between colors. The way each form is layered so that it has a halo of the yellow ground. The negative space is as much a part of the composition as the shapes themselves. Heron's work reminds me a bit of Matisse, especially in the way he uses color to create space and form. I think art is always about dialogue, an ongoing conversation between artists across time.