Composition 1965

Genevieve Asse made this "Composition" using paint to build up a surface of layered colour. You can really see the touch of the brush here, how the paint has been applied in soft, hazy strokes to create a luminous field. Look closely, and you’ll notice how the different shades of blue and yellow are worked into the canvas, one over the other. There’s a real sense of the materiality of the paint, not just in terms of its colour, but also the way it feels to be in the presence of this object. The way that the artist has handled the paint lends the piece an atmosphere, almost like mist hanging in the air. See the cluster of marks in the lower left? They give the impression of a landscape, a horizon line or half-remembered place. Asse’s work reminds me of Agnes Martin in the way she finds so much expression in such a pared-down style, the way she teases out the potential of simple, repeatable gestures. Ultimately, it’s up to us to bring our own experiences to the work, to find our own meanings in her compositions.