Untitled (1.1.99) 1999

Sean Scully made this Untitled work in 1999, using what looks like oil on paper. I can almost feel Scully layering those rectangles, one over the other. I imagine him, standing there, blocking in shapes, maybe squinting a bit, deciding, "Okay, this red goes *here*." There’s a kind of brick-laying rhythm to it, but with feeling! Look at the way the colors vibrate against each other. The surface is slightly mottled; the paint is matte, a little chalky maybe? Like the pigment is just sitting right there on the surface, raw. Scully’s known for these grids, for these stripes. I see echoes of Agnes Martin in the quietness, and Rothko in the color, but Scully makes it his own. These aren't just geometric forms. Each stripe is a breath, a pause, a decision. And isn’t that what painting is all about? A long conversation between artists through time.