Untitled 1948

This painting, by Forrest Bess, has got these broad strokes of yellow and gray, pushing out, almost exploding, from a central form. I can just imagine Forrest Bess in his studio, maybe even outside, wrestling with the paint, trying to get this vision—whatever it was—down on the canvas. You know? The paint looks thick, like he was really building it up, layer after layer. Look at that central form, it's like some kind of fortress. The texture is built up, and there’s a window, like a little glimpse into the unknown. Was he thinking about his theories about the human body when he made this? Bess was deeply influenced by artists like William Blake, who saw art as a way to express spiritual truths. I think artists are always in conversation with each other, across time, borrowing and stealing ideas. And that's okay. It's more than okay, it's beautiful.