Sea Painting I 1974

Brice Marden made this 'Sea Painting I', with what looks like oil and wax on canvas, and right away you’re drawn to the quietness of it, the way the color seems to seep into the surface, like the light in the sky. The texture here is all, and Marden is a master of texture. There’s something incredibly satisfying about the way the paint has been built up, layer upon layer, creating this kind of subtly shifting surface. Look closely at the line where the two fields meet, and you can almost feel the weight of the sea pressing up against the sky. It makes you wonder about the process, the repetitive, almost meditative act of applying the paint, scraping it back, and then adding more. For me, Agnes Martin comes to mind when I see this work, these artists share the sense of restraint and the desire to create something that is both deeply felt and rigorously reduced. Ultimately, these paintings are an invitation to slow down, to look, and to really see.