Untitled (Abstract) 1950

Joan Grant made this untitled abstract print sometime in the mid 20th Century, and it’s a playful exploration of shape and color, isn’t it? You can almost feel her process, that joyful wrestling with forms, the same way you might dance with a partner who keeps changing the steps. Check out how Grant uses a limited palette of muted greens, pinks, and purples. These colors don’t shout; they whisper, creating a sense of calm, like a hazy memory. Notice those linear marks in the bottom left, like the strokes of a child’s crayon, and how they add texture and depth to the composition. It’s this contrast between the geometric shapes and the handmade marks that makes the piece so intriguing. This piece reminds me of early work by someone like Patrick Heron, who shared the same interest in semi-abstracted forms and modernist colour combinations. Like Heron, Grant invites us to see the world anew, not as it is, but as it could be. It’s a conversation, an invitation to imagine beyond the surface, which I think is what all good art is about.