Quas (23.1.86) 1986

John Hoyland made Quas on January 23rd, 1986, and right away, I’m thinking about process; about all the things you could do with paint. There’s a real sense of immediacy to this piece, isn’t there? It’s like he's wrestling with the colors, pushing them around, seeing what happens. The way the orange drips down from that shape at the top, it’s like the paint is still in motion. And that bold, red circle on the side – it’s so unapologetic, so direct. I love the texture, too. You can almost feel the brushstrokes, the way the paint is layered on thick in some places and thin in others. It’s like Hoyland is showing us all the possibilities of the medium, all the different ways paint can behave. It reminds me a bit of de Kooning, that same sense of energy and experimentation. Ultimately, it’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exploration of what’s possible.