Yellow Painting 1949

Ad Reinhardt made this ‘Yellow Painting’ with oil on canvas, and I like to imagine the act of painting itself. The canvas has this shifting, emerging quality through trial, error, and intuition. I can sympathize with Reinhardt. What was it like for him to create? What was he thinking when he made it? The paint looks thin, applied in strokes and dabs, and this helps us experience the painting and contributes to its emotional and intellectual resonances. There’s a vertical gesture in the center that’s like a dripping column – it communicates so much feeling, intention, and meaning. This piece is very different from his black paintings, and it’s also got the mark of someone like Milton Resnick. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.