B2wPs 3 1990

Yves Gaucher made *B2wPs 3* with paint on canvas. I look at this and think of the artist stepping back, squinting, adjusting. It’s so spare, so minimal. What was it like to make? I imagine Gaucher finely tuning the hues, searching for the exact right tone. Those vertical bands of blues and whites hum quietly next to one another. It's not about bravado, but quiet contemplation. The paint isn't thick or showy. It's delicately applied, like a whisper. It reminds me of Agnes Martin's subtle grids, or maybe even the cool, serene color fields of someone like Robert Irwin. Maybe Gaucher was onto something about how much emotion can be communicated with so little. Artists see each others' works, talk to each other, are inspired by each other's experiments. And now we get to experience it too, adding our own thoughts. Painting lets us go places we haven’t been before.