Untitled 1970

This Untitled painting was made by Thomas Downing. I can see that he's a painter with a thing for dots, and what a crazy-beautiful color! It looks like he’s taken a big brush, maybe even a roller, and covered the whole canvas in this luscious, warm red. Then those dots—like they're dancing up the canvas in a diagonal line, a little shy and sweet. They are neatly rendered and evenly spaced. The surface of this painting seems smooth and even, and it makes me wonder about the choices Downing made, what kind of conversations he was having with other artists at the time. What was in the air then? There's something so simple about this painting, but it's also got a real depth to it. It makes me think about the way we look at things, the way we find patterns and meaning in the world. What do you think?