Different Quarters #12 1959

Frederick Hammersley made *Different Quarters #12* with oil and probably a brush, some masking tape, maybe even a palette knife. Look how the painting breathes, each section a block of pure colour, a green triangle nestled into a corner, a jolt of red holding court at the top right. I wonder if Hammersley ever felt like he was just pushing paint around, you know? Like, does the orange sit comfortably next to the yellow? Does that red block overwhelm the whole thing? I find myself lost in the materiality of the paint, thick in some places, thin in others, how that shiny surface catches the light. That textured brown patch feels like a landscape. Hammersley’s on a journey through colour and form, not unlike what Albers was doing or even Mondrian. Artists, we’re all in conversation with each other, riffing off ideas, pushing them further. And ultimately, painting is just that – a conversation, a question, a search for meaning in a world that’s always changing.