Congo 1954

William Baziotes painted Congo with oil on canvas, creating an enigmatic landscape of the mind. The layered washes of colour and blurred forms suggest a process of building up and wiping away, where the painting emerges through experimentation. The materiality of the painting is interesting. There are transparent glazes and opaque layers, creating a sense of depth and atmosphere. The colours are muted, but luminous. See how the meandering black line at the top glows with a yellow halo, making it seem to float against the grey ground? This kind of mark activates the space around it, suggesting movement and energy. It’s like the paint is breathing. Baziotes’s work reminds me of Joan Miró, another artist who embraced chance and improvisation in his work. Both artists suggest that art is a space of possibility, where imagination and intuition can roam freely. Rather than searching for fixed meanings, maybe we can simply enjoy the journey.