Nu Azul 1997

Beatriz Milhazes made this painting, Nu Azul, using rhythmic geometries and a lush color palette. You can almost feel her building it up layer by layer, each motif carefully considered, a little like a dance. I imagine Milhazes really getting into it, thinking about Matisse, or maybe some Brazilian folk art, and how it all talks to each other across time and space. The surface has a really distinct texture – so tactile, almost velvety – that gives the painting a unique presence. Look at that central purple bloom, surrounded by spiraling forms. There's a kind of energy there, a sense of things pushing outward, expanding. It feels intentional. Painting is like that, you know? We are all in an ongoing exchange of ideas, inspiring each other's creativity. We make forms that are embodied, expressive, embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.