Upp i himmelen ned i djupen 1976

Rune Jansson made this painting called "Upp i himmelen ned i djupen" using paint. The first thing that strikes you is the blue, right? It’s loose, watery, kind of scribbled. The whole painting feels like a sketch, a quick grab at a feeling. The blue almost drips down the canvas, not quite controlled, which I like. Look how Jansson lets the paint be itself. It’s not trying to trick you into thinking it’s something else. You see the brushstrokes, the way the water thins out the pigment. It’s honest. That scribble at the bottom, it’s like he’s saying, “Yeah, I’m just playing around here.” It reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, the way she could throw paint around and still make it feel so deliberate. Art’s always this conversation, people riffing off each other across time. And that’s the best thing about it, there's no right answer, just different ways of seeing.