Study for Vivienne 1985

Tom Wesselmann made this Study for Vivienne, and what strikes me is its cool directness, especially how he simplifies the planes of the face into elegant contours. There's a playfulness in the way he uses color, like that pop of yellow for her hair – it's not about realism, but about creating a visual jolt, a kind of graphic zing. The textures are smooth, and the colors are bold and opaque. The mouth is really the focal point here, rendered in a glossy red that almost feels like it's been lifted from an advertisement. It's a distillation of sensuality, flattened and iconic. Wesselmann's work reminds me a bit of Matisse, in the way he reduces forms to their essence, creating a vibrant, modern language all his own. Art is not about answers, but about opening up new ways of seeing, a never-ending conversation across time and space.