Untitled (Onkel) 1965

Konrad Lueg made this painting, Untitled (Onkel), with what looks like acrylic or maybe gouache. It’s a flat, graphic kind of image, playing with pattern and blocking out the figure in bold shapes. The bright blue suit just pops, doesn't it? And that tie! Lueg doesn't try to hide the process, the paint is pretty flat, and you can almost see the ghosts of pencil lines underneath. It's like he's saying, "Here it is, no secrets." This directness makes you think about what he chose to show and what he left out. Like, why leave the head blank? It reminds me a bit of Alex Katz, who also flattens figures and plays with color. But Lueg has this almost playful, deadpan quality. It's an image that feels both familiar and strange, like a half-remembered dream. That blue is really something!