Untitled 1961

Lee Bontecou made this untitled artwork with canvas and metal, and it just grabs you, doesn't it? It’s all about building up, layering, almost like a relief, but still so connected to painting. Look at the surface – that material quality is everything. It's not just flat, it’s got this sculptural thing going on. The canvas is stretched and pulled, and the metal adds this whole other dimension. The tones are muted, almost industrial, but there’s a softness too, like the whole thing is breathing. The big black hole in the center of the piece is so ominous and beautiful, a dark void that is contrasted by the surrounding industrial landscape. Bontecou really breaks down the boundaries between painting and sculpture, and makes you see the world in a totally new way. It reminds me a bit of some of Eva Hesse’s work, that same tension between materials and forms.