Tondo #22 1953

Hedda Sterne made this painting, Tondo #22, which is a world held in a circle, with layers of marks that let us glimpse at what's underneath. The whole piece feels like a discovery, because the way she put the paint down feels like a process of finding something, not just describing it. I can see a build up of textures. Look how the light plays on the surface, revealing the brushstrokes. It’s like she’s wrestling with the paint, trying to capture some elusive idea. The dark greens create a kind of atmosphere, while the pale yellows and blues peek through, adding a sense of depth. It's like looking into a machine, where the parts connect in ways we don't quite understand but are invited to consider. This reminds me of some of Francis Picabia's machine paintings, where he used mechanical forms to hint at something beyond the purely rational. It’s less about what it is, and more about what it could be.