Kilroy Was Here 1950

Robert Goodnough made "Kilroy Was Here" with oil paint and I imagine a brush loaded with pigment, swept across the surface. The greens, reds, and blues jostle each other, creating a lively, energetic field. I wonder if Goodnough was thinking about nature and urban space, or the way people leave their mark? It reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell’s landscapes, where color becomes a kind of emotional weather. The paint isn’t applied in thick globs, but it's thin, stained, almost like watercolor at times. See how the strokes are kind of broken and staccato? It's like the artist was feeling out the space, one gesture at a time, building up a layered, complex composition. That looping red line there…it could be a road, a river, or just a spontaneous burst of energy. It's what makes painting so cool, isn't it? All those possible meanings, all those references swirling together, a conversation across time.