Pink II 1999

"Pink II" by Peter Alexander is, well, not particularly pink. It’s got this raw, charcoal energy that seems to coil and unwind all at once. I can almost feel Peter Alexander’s hand moving, smudging, coaxing this form out of nothingness. It's like he’s trying to catch a thought before it disappears, that first impulse of an idea. The texture is so immediate; you can practically feel the grit of the charcoal on the paper. This bold swirl reminds me of Cy Twombly’s scribbles, but with a more somber feel. It invites you to let go of needing to understand and just be present with the mark-making. It’s all about the doing, isn’t it? Every smudge and stroke telling a little story of the artist’s hand and mind. It's about the dialogue of the artist with the canvas.