Untitled 1996

Michel Majerus made these two small untitled paintings with oil paint. I can almost feel him making them in his studio, pushing the paint around, letting one influence the other. On the left, a black stroke across a pale green surface, and on the right, the shapes are loose, in baby pinks, blues, and reds. The colours feel like a reaction against something dark, moving into lightness, energy and humour. Looking at the thick squiggles of paint, I imagine Majerus using a big brush, maybe even his fingers, to get that fleshy, direct feeling. These works are similar to pieces by other painters, who, like Majerus, aren’t afraid to put it all on the surface, to be vulnerable and provisional. Majerus and other painters are always in conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another's creativity. Ultimately, these works, and painting itself, are a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity. They invite us to come up with our own interpretations, to have a conversation with them.