Lake Michigan Rocks #2 1958

John Battenberg made "Lake Michigan Rocks #2" as a print, and it looks like a real labor of love. The colours—mostly reds and browns—are laid down in layers, which gives the whole thing a sense of depth. It’s like he’s thinking about how these forms came to be over time. You can almost feel the texture of the rocks themselves, can't you? There’s a tactile quality to the way the colours overlap and blend. The surface has this incredible mottled effect, particularly in the darker areas. It’s as if the medium itself is part of the subject, mimicking the way the rocks have been weathered by water and time. Look at the way the light catches some of those edges. It reminds me of the way Guston used to build up his surfaces, all clunky and real. It’s like Battenberg’s saying, “Here are these rocks, solid and permanent, but also always changing, always being shaped by something bigger than themselves.” And isn’t that what art is all about anyway?