867-97 (Vulcano) 1997

This is 867-97 (Vulcano) by Rupprecht Geiger, painted with what looks like a very smooth surface with a color that just shouts, doesn't it? I can't help but imagine Geiger in his studio, maybe lost in thought about the color itself. I'm sure he’s like, how can I make this color sing, how can I make it feel like a place, like a volcano, as the title suggests? The deep color at the bottom feels almost like molten lava or the rich soil around a volcano, contrasted against the cool white backdrop, contained within this perfect circle. The paint is so smooth, that I wonder about process. Did he apply layer after layer, sanding in between? The horizon line in particular feels like a place where colors meet and merge, almost like a Rothko. But Geiger's hard-edged circle makes a different kind of statement. It’s a bold, confident declaration of color. Artists are always in conversation, you know, responding to what came before and pushing things forward, each painting an experiment in seeing and feeling.