Stretch White 1981

Sadamasa Motonaga’s "Stretch White" uses colour and form to create a landscape of the mind. The smooth gradients and clear shapes are all about process, where each colour interacts without fuss. Looking at it, I see this big white form, a shape like an upturned banana, floating over a sky that fades from indigo to a gentle peach, like a memory of a sunset. The paint isn't thick or showy; it’s more like a veil. A small pink line sits on top of the white shape. It’s a tiny detail, but it holds the whole thing together, adding tension, like a stitch in a seam. I'm reminded a little of Etel Adnan, with that same sense of calm and careful looking. It embraces ambiguity, capturing the push and pull between abstract shapes and something almost representational.