Untitled 2004

This undated painting was made by Warlimpirrnga Tjapaltjarri using what looks like delicate strokes of a fine brush. Imagine him, carefully building up these rhythmic lines, one next to the other, weaving across the canvas. I wonder what he was thinking as he worked? Maybe he was in a trance, each stroke a meditation. I imagine the focus it must have taken to create such a thing! It reminds me of Agnes Martin's grids, but looser, more organic. The thin lines of orange create a vibrating surface against the dark background. The painting has a powerful energy. It's a reminder that painting is a conversation, a back-and-forth across time. We look at paintings, and then we make paintings in response. It’s like a long thread that never ends.