The Clown 1959

Kenneth Noland painted "The Clown", probably with acrylic on canvas, and it's like a quirky circus act on a square stage. The way Noland handles the paint is so direct. You can see each brushstroke, almost like he’s letting us in on the secret of how it’s made. I love that you can see the physical act of making, it’s not trying to hide anything. There’s this juicy, drippy quality to the black arc at the top, it gives this sense of movement and energy to the painting. The way the colours butt up against each other, those flat shapes are having a real conversation. I like the smeary colours around the edge, how these almost dissolve into the canvas. The hard-edged shapes inside this add a tension which makes the whole thing sing. Thinking about other artists, I'm reminded of Frank Stella's shaped canvases, that same interest in the painting as an object. But with Noland, there's a looseness, an openness to chance that gives it a completely different vibe.