Untitled 2014

This large diptych by Sofia Areal is a conversation in black and white. The act of painting feels urgent, alive—a back-and-forth between intention and accident. On the right, you can see thick swirls of black paint are layered with thinner, more transparent lines. The artist's hand seems to dance across the surface, sometimes bold and decisive, other times delicate and tentative. There’s a real contrast between the two panels, with the left one made of more delicate lines that make the black shape look soft. I'm imagining Areal moving between panels, responding to what's already there, pushing and pulling until she finds a balance. It's as if Areal is exploring the very nature of seeing, inviting us to question what we think we know. The push and pull of dark and light becomes this meditation on perception itself. It reminds me of Robert Motherwell’s paintings, or Franz Kline, artists who knew how to make black sing! It's the kind of painting that keeps you looking.