Fragment VIII 2001

Robert Mangold made this painting, Fragment VIII, with acrylic and black pencil on canvas, and the first thing that strikes me is how he's laid down this earthy ground, almost like old paper. The black verticals interrupt the textured planes, creating a really interesting push and pull. I wonder what Mangold was thinking about when he made this? Maybe something about how shapes interact, or how color affects our perception of space. I think of him drawing those slightly wonky curves with the black pencil, each one feeling like a breath. It reminds me of some of Brice Marden's looping lines, but with this grounded, almost architectural feel. Painters are always talking to each other, you know, across time and space. Each gesture, each decision, builds on what came before. It's like a big, messy, beautiful conversation that never ends.