Meun 1968

Simon Hantai made this gorgeous abstract painting, Meun, with dark teal paint, maybe oil or acrylic, brushed onto a creamy, off-white surface. I wonder about the process: were these shapes carefully planned, or did they emerge from a more intuitive gesture? I can imagine Hantai thinking about Matisse's cut-outs, that’s certainly what I think about, with their organic forms, but here the shapes feel more like islands, separated by these bright white gaps. Those gaps are so important, they almost become the subject of the painting itself. Look at the texture within each shape – the subtle variations in the paint, how it catches the light. It’s not flat at all, there's depth there. And the way the edges are defined, sometimes sharp, sometimes soft, creates a real sense of movement. I love how Hantai allows the painting to breathe, giving space for our eyes to wander and make connections, much like my own work, where the process of painting itself becomes a form of inquiry. Ultimately, it's all about the conversation that unfolds on the canvas.