Star (for Patti Smith) 1974

This is Brice Marden’s “Star (for Patti Smith),” and you know, when I look at this painting, I think about the careful meditation that must have gone into choosing these colors and how they sit next to each other. Imagine the studio—quiet, maybe some music playing softly. Marden, stepping back, squinting, mixing colors, and applying them so perfectly, so evenly, that the surface becomes almost like a printed image. This central band of gray, flanked by these deep, almost black hues, creates a tension. It's like a visual hum. The black isn't just black, but rather a very dark blue or green. You feel the connection to other painters, like Agnes Martin, with her quiet grids, or even Rothko, with his fields of color that invite contemplation. In the end, artists keep the conversation going across time, inspiring one another's creativity. It’s a reminder that painting is an act of searching.