Epitaph Painting 5 2001

Brice Marden made "Epitaph Painting 5" with oil and wax on canvas. Can you imagine the subtle, meditative state it must have taken to create this? I feel like the artist has worked on the surface with a palette knife or a rag to create a misty grey surface, and on top of that he has drawn these meandering lines. They wiggle and jiggle, intertwining to create a plane of almost classical space. The linear structure and the muted colors here call to mind Cy Twombly’s later work. There’s something about the way Marden embraces chance and imperfection. The colors here are quietly harmonized, too—red, grey, pale blue—and I think that adds a real emotional punch. These lines, painted on top of the grey, are not trying to hide—they just sit there, relaxed. It’s all just so understated, so cool. It makes you think about what painting can do, and how different painters are in conversation.