Balls 1990

James Rosenquist made this print, called “Balls”, using flat areas of color and a kind of exploded, chaotic composition. It feels like a moment captured, like a photograph of something always in flux. There’s something really juicy about the colors in this piece, these sharp oranges, reds and yellows, mixed with more muted blues and greens that give a punch to the composition. Rosenquist has used a flat, almost graphic application of color. But then you look closer, and you see these beautiful splatters of red and gold that add a layer of texture and depth. It’s as if the balls are bursting apart, full of contained energy. It reminds me of fireworks, or some kind of atomic reaction. Rosenquist worked as a billboard painter, so you can really see that in his use of bold color. He shares that sense of the everyday with artists like Warhol, but his composition is more dynamic, less about repetition and more about movement. Like all great art, it leaves you with more questions than answers.