Family Portrait 1958

Alfred Jensen made "Family Portrait" with paint and a grid, and the result is a beautiful mess. Looking at the surface, you get a sense of Jensen's process. Each little square is laid down deliberately, though not without a bit of wonk. There's a kind of beautiful awkwardness that comes through. The colors - red, yellow, blue, and purple - are all really amped up, primary and in your face. I love how he uses the simple square to create depth and movement. It's like each mark is a thought, a decision, a little world of its own that then comes together to create something that feels both planned and completely intuitive. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint, another artist who used geometric forms to explore spiritual ideas. Both embrace ambiguity and multiple interpretations.