Beside the Sea No. 24 1962

Robert Motherwell, active during the Abstract Expressionist movement, created "Beside the Sea No. 24" using bold strokes of black paint on a stark white canvas. Motherwell, like many of his contemporaries, grappled with the aftermath of World War II, seeking new forms to express the anxieties and existential questions of the time. The series, "Beside the Sea", reflects this emotional landscape, using abstraction to convey the raw energy and the sublime terror of the sea. The broad, horizontal line evokes a horizon, while the splatters might suggest waves crashing or perhaps even blood. The painting becomes a space where personal grief meets the vastness of the natural world. "Each brushstroke is a decision," Motherwell once said, and here, those decisions feel both urgent and deeply personal. "Beside the Sea No. 24" invites us to contemplate the intersection of inner turmoil and external reality, capturing a moment of intense emotional resonance.