PH-343 1937

Clyfford Still made PH-343 with oil on canvas, but when I look at it, I can’t quite put my finger on when. Still was interested in the act of painting itself, and this piece feels like a record of his process. He’s laid the paint down in these thick, jagged strokes, like he’s carving into the canvas. Look closely and you’ll see the buttery texture, so tactile, you can almost feel the energy of his hand. On the right side of the canvas, there is this figure, or maybe it's just the suggestion of one, rendered in fleshy, yellowish tones. The figure reaches out with a kind of longing towards the left side of the canvas. This reminds me a little of Francis Bacon's distorted figures, though Still’s work feels more like a raw, primal scream. Both artists shared a desire to reveal the darker, more conflicted aspects of the human psyche. Ultimately, it’s up to us to decide what we see.