Study Attic Series XIV 1991

Robert Mangold made "Study Attic Series XIV" in 1991, a print of simple gestures, a conversation between a solid block of orange and two elliptical shapes. The orange isn’t flat, but feels applied, the texture of the paper showing through. It's like a memory of color, a trace of something tangible. Two black ellipses, drawn with a confident, unwavering line, overlap on top of this. There's something so playful about how these shapes interact, both with each other and the edges of the colored block. Look at where the bottom ellipse just barely touches the lower edge of the orange - that one small choice enlivens the entire piece. Mangold's work reminds me a little of Ellsworth Kelly in that he's so invested in the deceptively simple act of putting shapes and colors in conversation. It's a reminder that art isn't about answers, but about embracing the questions and the possibilities that emerge along the way.