Light From Square Red 1984

Sadamasa Motonaga made ‘Light From Square Red’ using a flat application of colour, so the making is partially concealed, but the process of blurring and blending is right there on the surface. The way the red bleeds into white creates a fuzzy, dreamlike state – it’s a simple pairing, yet the contrast is powerful. The hard line between the red and fading gradient forms a horizon; maybe a portal. It makes me think about the colour field painters like Rothko, but with an added touch of the surreal. Look at the soft edges of the black form, like a liquid suspended in the air, defying gravity. Motonaga was part of the Gutai group, who wanted to break free from traditional art forms. And this piece feels like a breakthrough, simple as it is, it creates a new world, an alternate way of seeing, and experiencing colour, space, and form. It is art as ongoing experimentation.