Abstract 5 1956

René Marcil made this painting, Abstract 5, on a canvas about this big. The first thing that hits you is that playful push-and-pull of blocks, each one a surprise. You can almost see Marcil moving them around, trying out different combos. It’s like he’s thinking out loud with color and shape. Up close, the texture tells a story. The paint is smooth in some spots, chunky in others, as if he went back over certain parts, digging in. Look at how that red block on the right sort of hovers, the colors next to it are electric, it’s like an argument or dance between hot and cool. I see echoes of Mondrian here, but with a looser feel. Marcil is less about the grid, more about the experience. In his paintings, you can see him figuring it out as he goes.