Nocturn Matinal 1970

Antoni Tapies made this artwork, Nocturn Matinal, using earthy colours and decisive gestural marks, like charcoal and diluted paint. It looks like the product of chance and intuition. It’s as if, Tapies was trying to figure something out, wiping away and adding until the image came into focus through the process of painting itself. I can imagine Tapies, lost in thought, his brow furrowed in concentration, circling the canvas as he built up the central shape. The way he has used the brush to drag the paint around the edges suggests a kind of urgency, or maybe a meditative rhythm. And then there’s the square in the middle, like a window or a mirror, with a scribble on it. What does it all mean? It reminds me of the work of other painters, like Cy Twombly and Joan Miró. They are all in conversation. Artists exchange ideas across time, inspiring one another's creativity. Painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.