Composition #100 1982

Yuri Zlotnikov made this painting—we don't know when—using loose brushstrokes and a slightly muddy palette of blues, greens, reds, and yellows. Imagine him shifting the painting around, throwing down marks, stepping back, throwing down more marks—a trial-and-error process of image-making! I sympathize with the artist who made this, thinking of the possibilities that lie within each stroke, each color choice. What's the painting about? Is it a landscape? A gathering of people? It's both, and neither. Thick paint creates texture, adding depth and emotional resonance. That dark stroke, for example, could be read as a shadow, or a void. It's interesting to consider this piece in relation to other painters who embraced ambiguity and uncertainty, like Philip Guston. Ultimately, art is in an ongoing conversation, isn't it? Artists inspiring one another, pushing boundaries, and inviting us to see the world in new and unexpected ways.