The Betrothal II 1947

Arshile Gorky made this painting with oil paint. It has a kind of ochre color field with yellow shapes kind of floating in it. Imagine the act of painting – Gorky starting and stopping, adding and subtracting until this composition emerges. I love how the brushstrokes give the piece a real sense of dynamism. Like, these forms are in motion, aren't they? I can imagine Gorky standing back, squinting, maybe tilting his head, trying to get it just right. The paint looks thin in places, almost like a stain, and then thicker in others, creating this varied surface that catches the light. That one blue shape near the top – it's like a question mark, isn't it? Or a figure? It seems like Gorky's searching for something in the act of painting, not just depicting a thing, but finding a feeling. It reminds me of other painters who are also trying to find the answer to something, like maybe Joan Miró? They are all in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another. Painting is a form of expression, which embraces doubt.