Yellow Painting 1969

Peter Joseph made this artwork called 'Yellow Painting', but when exactly, we don't know. The yellow is so solid, like a shape cut out and placed on the canvas. I like the confidence it takes to make a painting like this – the decision to just go for it with one colour, one form. Maybe Joseph was thinking about the essential qualities of painting, stripping away everything extra to see what's left. It reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin's grids, or even some of the early minimalists, who were all trying to get down to the basics. It feels so simple but it is also kind of radical. There's a quiet intensity in this painting. It invites you to slow down, to really see the colour and the shape. It's a reminder that painting can be about contemplation and quiet, not just drama and spectacle. And that’s the kind of art that stays with you, you know?