Untitled 1983

This untitled piece was made by Sean Scully using oil paint on paper. Scully’s paintings are all about simple forms. Here, these chunky stripes, and their surfaces, reveal a history of artmaking as a process. Look at the way the pigment sits on the surface of the paper. The paint application is thick, opaque, and almost waxy in appearance. There's something so satisfying about the materiality of paint, and how it can be coaxed into different textures and effects. Consider how Scully might have applied the paint – were these stripes made in a single gesture, or were they built up slowly, layer by layer? Notice the red and green rectangles in the center, they act like a full stop in an otherwise rhythmic composition of blues and blacks. Scully’s work reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, who was interested in simple geometry and quiet, contemplative compositions. Like Martin, Scully understands that art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.