Deep Universe 1970

Eugene Brands made ‘Deep Universe’ with generous strokes and dollops of paint. Look how the surface has come into being with each shift and emerging form. Imagine the artist in the studio, brush in hand, coaxing vibrant colors from the darkness. There’s a push and pull here; the dark background swallowing up the floating islands of color. It's like he's wrestling with this cosmic soup. Look closely, and you'll see how each dab and swirl communicates intention. It’s the green next to the orange that sings to me. Brands was part of the COBRA group, who were all about spontaneity and raw expression, so it's no surprise that this piece feels so alive and unresolved. He and his peers, like Karel Appel, were onto something about how to convey a new vision, with new forms, by embracing ambiguity and uncertainty. Ultimately, it's about how we, as viewers, bring our own experiences to the work and engage in an ongoing exchange of ideas across time.