The Upper Room: Mono Rojo 2002

Chris Ofili conjures this image with daring, splashing gestures and a dominant palette of reds, offset by some cool blues. I can almost see him there, pushing the paint around, maybe standing back, squinting, adding another layer. What was he thinking? Maybe something about the sheer physicality of paint itself, its textures and the way it catches the light? I imagine Ofili getting lost in the act of creation, responding to the canvas with pure, unadulterated feeling. There's a stroke, right at the center, that seems to pull everything together, like a conductor leading an orchestra. You know, it reminds me of the way Rothko used color to create these immersive, emotional spaces. And you see, it’s all part of this ongoing conversation between artists, a kind of call and response across time. Ultimately, painting is this incredible form of expression, where nothing is fixed, and everything is open to interpretation. It's a world of ambiguity, which, in my view, makes it all the more exciting.