Propogation S-4-C-P 1969

Matsutani's Propagation S-4-C-P. It’s a vertical painting, divided into three sections of blue, red and green. It looks so methodical, so controlled. I imagine the artist carefully laying down each color, one after the other, making sure each block of color has the same density and texture. I wonder if the artist considered the relationship between the colors – how they might play off one another. There's an intensity to these choices: the hard edge, the limited palette. It's bold, and determined. It makes me think about Barnett Newman, but there's something else going on here. I imagine him in the studio, years before, deciding to make a painting that was just a few colors, perfectly balanced. And you realize, well, that this painting is just one step in an ongoing process. It's almost like he's daring himself: how simple can I make it? How few moves can I get away with?