Mandragora 1969

Walter Darby Bannard made this painting, Mandragora, with acrylic on canvas. Look at the way the orange paint dances on the surface, like little joyful explosions. I can imagine Bannard in his studio, maybe in Florida where he lived, flicking the brush, letting the paint fly, almost like he's playing a game. That pale green, almost gray, sets the stage for these energetic marks. It’s like the canvas is a garden, and the orange is the sudden burst of life. There is something so immediate about these marks, almost accidental. But I'm sure each one was carefully considered. Bannard was interested in exploring the pure qualities of color and paint. He wasn't trying to represent anything, just letting the materials speak for themselves. It's a conversation between the artist, the paint, and the surface. And now, it's a conversation with us. Painting is like that—one big, ongoing, beautiful discussion.