Untitled 2000

This untitled painting by Harriet Korman is a geometric dance, probably executed in acrylics with their fast-drying boldness. I can imagine Korman, brush in hand, stepping up to the canvas, ready to orchestrate a symphony of shapes. It’s all colour blocks and hard edges. A yellow ground, sliced by triangles, quarter moons, and quadrilaterals of red, blue, and green. A dialogue between control and chance is set up through her process of layering and juxtaposition, a calculated spontaneity, where the artist allows the painting to evolve organically. Korman's work reminds me of the paintings of someone like Sol Lewitt or maybe even Agnes Martin, in the way that the painting becomes a method for her to think with. It's like the painting is a question. What happens if I put this shape next to this colour? Like all good painters, she’s continuing a conversation that’s been going on for centuries, each stroke echoing the masters while forging its own path.