Pools - Century [Miami] 2003

Sarah Morris made this painting, Pools - Century [Miami], with what looks like really precise lines and blocks of color. It's like she’s thought about how things fit together, piece by piece, which to me, is what making art is all about. The colors in this painting—the bright yellows, reds and those muted grays and blues—they feel so flat, almost like vinyl. The surface is so smooth, it’s hard to tell how she put it all together, but that smoothness is part of the point. Look at how she uses the yellow grid to create depth, or the illusion of it anyway. I really like the little pops of red there in the middle, it's like the key to the whole composition. Thinking about other artists, someone like Sol LeWitt comes to mind, but Morris brings this warmth and a bit of a pop sensibility. It's so cool how painting can be both a careful plan and a total surprise.