Untitled 1961

Here’s an untitled painting by Theophilus Brown, made with oil paint and a whole lotta intuition. I love the suggestive brushstrokes. See how the shades of emerald green wrestle with hues of fleshy pink, creating a scene that is almost recognizable, like a half-remembered dream. I imagine Brown, brush in hand, circling the canvas, now adding a dab of brown, now scraping it back. His eyes squinting to make out the form in front of him. The painting breathes, emerges, retreats, guided by feeling, and fought over by a desire to represent. That confident swipe of paint across the base of the canvas—it just says, "I’ve got this.” Brown’s got a way of playing with the legacy of painters like Bonnard while doing his own thing. It makes you realize we’re all just remixing the same old song, trying to find our own voice within it. I’m always grateful for that reminder.