Third Allegory 1955

This is ‘Third Allegory’ by Ben, and looking at this piece, I imagine the making of it involved a lot of back and forth, a kind of call and response between Ben and the emerging image. The image has a certain, almost urgent quality, in its expressive lines and figuration. I'm really drawn to the raw texture of the surface, the way the colors are laid down in layers, creating depth and luminosity. Look how the blue and red vibrate, creating an energy around the central figures. I wonder what Ben was thinking when he put down that jagged line, like a bolt of energy, on the figure’s cloak. To me, it speaks to the artist’s hand, the decisions they make in real time, as they’re wrestling with the image. It is as if Ben is asking, how can painting communicate feeling, intention, meaning? All painters are in conversation, constantly exchanging ideas across time and place. Ben's painting reminds us that art embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations, rejecting any fixed or definitive meaning.