Diptych 1971

Larry Bell made this diptych with subtle gradations of tone and color. I can imagine Bell in his studio, carefully layering pigment onto the canvas, almost like he's coaxing the image into being. It’s not just about applying paint; it's about creating an atmosphere, a mood. Looking at the muted shades, I wonder if he was thinking about light and shadow, about how colors shift and change depending on their surroundings? It makes me think about Agnes Martin, who’s also obsessed with light and surface. The hazy lines and edges in Bell's paintings feel like they’re dissolving into the atmosphere around them. The act of painting is an act of inquiry, a way of exploring and understanding the world through color, texture, and form. Artists are always in conversation with one another, riffing off of each other's ideas, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be.