Untitled 2017

This Untitled painting was made by Lucy Ivanova, and it's got this searching, intuitive quality that I really dig. It's all about the push and pull of the paint, the way the colors squirm together, especially that big, bold black shape against the whites and reds. You can see the layers, the history of decisions, almost like a conversation happening right on the canvas. I love the little pop of blue and pink, feels like a little wink amidst all the drama. The surface is alive, thick in some places, thin in others, and you can almost feel the artist's hand moving, reacting. It reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, in the way she fearlessly piled on the paint, letting the energy of the moment guide her. Art is never about answers, right? It's about the questions, the messy, beautiful process of trying to figure things out.