Man Tree 1916

Xul Solar made this ‘Man Tree’ with watercolour and ink, and look at how the colours blend and bleed. There is a looseness in the approach to the mark-making that really chimes with my own understanding of art making as a process. The colours are applied in thin washes which pool and streak, creating these amazing drips. Take a look at the orange and red rivulets that run downwards, like sap, or blood. The surface is slightly mottled, and I think that adds to the sense of something organic, alive, and perhaps even a little bit wounded. I am reminded of Hilma af Klint and her own combination of spiritual and organic forms. Ultimately art isn't about definitive answers, but more about embracing ambiguity.