Frontispiece Possibly 1962

Zao Wou-Ki made this painting called Frontispiece and it’s a trip. The way the umber and black kind of bleed into each other with these electric shocks of blue gives you the sense of an artist who’s totally unafraid, really pushing at the edge of what a painting can be. I imagine Zao, wrestling with the canvas, layering these earthy tones, and then BAM, hitting it with that almost neon blue. What was he thinking? Maybe something about the quietness of the earth and the sudden burst of energy. Or maybe he was just having a really good day. That central mark, like a core sample, it's a bold stroke. You can feel him really going for it, trusting his gut. It reminds me of de Kooning, that same kind of swagger. And it makes you wonder what we’re all reaching for when we make our marks on the world. We’re all just trying to make sense of things, one brushstroke at a time, right?