Abstract Force - Homage to Franz Kline 1952

Audrey Flack made this painting as an Homage to Franz Kline, a real head-banger of Abstract Expressionism, and the colors, the yellows, pinks and reds, feel like a kind of argument with Kline’s austere monochrome palette. Flack's got this wild, almost aggressive way of putting paint down, smearing and layering, so you can feel the process, the struggle, and also the joy of building something new. Look at the way the black strokes dominate the canvas, thick and dripping. There’s a real sense of immediacy, like she's wrestling with the paint, trying to pin down some raw emotion or idea. The colors are laid on so thickly it's almost like she's sculpting with them. The way she's thrown in those patches of vibrant color, feels like a challenge. You can see the influence of Kline, but she's not just copying, she's talking back, adding her own voice to the conversation. Art, after all, is just one long conversation between artists.