Tout par terre 1961

Andre Lanskoy made this painting, called Tout par terre, using oil paint and a bold palette. It looks like he was working flat on a table, turning the canvas as he went and responding to what was already there. I love the way Lanskoy’s paint is both deliberate and impulsive. You can see these thick, juicy marks that feel so physical, so present. Especially the turquoise and purple marks in the lower right quadrant, almost like torn fragments or floating scraps of color. I think of him building up layers, letting each stroke inform the next, as though he’s having a conversation with the painting itself. It reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell, actually, someone else who understood that painting is a process, not just a picture. They both knew how to let the paint do its thing. In a way, Lanskoy’s work reminds us that a painting isn't just a representation of something; it's an event, a record of an artist's thinking, feeling, and doing.