Light Fan 1966

Sam Gilliam made *Light Fan* with acrylic paint on canvas. Gilliam was known for pushing the boundaries of painting, and this work is no exception. Instead of traditional brushstrokes, the colors appear to be poured and stained onto the canvas. You can see the way the pigment has bled and pooled, creating a fluid, almost watery effect. This was achieved by manipulating the canvas while the paint was still wet, allowing gravity and chance to play a role in the final composition. It's as though the painting was created through a dance between the artist, the material, and the forces of nature. The lack of defined forms and the emphasis on process over product challenge traditional notions of artistic mastery. The work celebrates the inherent qualities of the paint itself, inviting us to appreciate the materiality of art, rather than focusing solely on its representational content. This piece is more than just a picture; it's a record of a performance, a moment captured in time through the interaction of paint and canvas.