Phenomena Oracle Received 1972

Paul Jenkins made this watercolour abstract, Phenomena Oracle Received, sometime in his career. Looking at it, I’m struck by the way he let the paint do its thing, really embracing the process. The colours bleed into each other, creating these fluid, organic shapes. You can almost feel the water moving across the surface. There’s this one spot, where the red, blue, and yellow meet, forming a vibrant, almost electric burst of colour. It's like a tiny explosion of energy right there on the page. Jenkins really knew how to coax the paint, letting it flow and mingle, but also guiding it with a sure hand. It reminds me a bit of Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, where she poured thinned paint onto unprimed canvas, allowing the colours to merge and create these luminous fields of colour. With art, it’s always an ongoing conversation, isn't it? Each artist riffing off the ideas and techniques of those who came before, while also adding their own unique voice to the mix.