Abstract Composition 1955

Andre Lanskoy made this painting, Abstract Composition, with oil on canvas, layering vibrant gestures and colors like fuchsia, teal, and burnt sienna. I can imagine Lanskoy starting with the orangey-red background, and then intuitively building up the composition, letting each shape and color suggest the next, a give and take. There is an energy and immediacy to the painting, like a dance across the canvas. The paint seems thin, fluid, allowing for easy blending and layering, and these little stripes of color! You can see Lanskoy's legacy in contemporary abstract painters who embrace improvisation and process. It’s like we’re all talking to each other across time, learning from each other’s visual languages. I feel like painting is an ongoing experiment, embracing the unknown and uncertain, and Lanskoy’s work is such a testament to that.