Lichtkreise (Kosmischer Regenbogen) 1922

Otto Freundlich created Lichtkreise, Cosmic Rainbow in oil paint, and it looks like he was working wet on wet. He’s thinking about circles of light, and how colour radiates, which is something I think about a lot too. Looking closely, you can see how he allows the paint to blend on the canvas. It's not about hiding the process. In fact, it’s like he’s saying, “Here’s how it’s done.” The edges of the circles are soft and blurred, which gives the painting a dreamy, almost otherworldly feel. I love the way the colours interact; they’re not quite blending, but they’re definitely talking to each other. There's a real emphasis on the material qualities of the paint itself. Freundlich was part of a movement called Abstraction-Création, and you can see that spirit in his work. There is an affinity with Kandinsky's early abstract compositions. For me, this is about embracing the unknown and accepting that ambiguity is part of the fun.