Lamp Black 2007

Rafal Bujnowski made this monochrome painting called "Lamp Black" with dark paint, and the way he put it down in these big chunky strokes, you can almost feel the physicality of the medium. I can just imagine Bujnowski there in his studio, maybe thinking about light and shadow, pushing this black paint around, trying to carve out a space with just a few bold moves. There's something so basic about it, like he's asking, "What can I do with just one color and a brush?" And look at those figures – they’re like stand-ins, maybe for us, the viewers, trying to make sense of this world he’s created. The texture is crucial here: the thickness and direction of the paint create shadows, like the painting is an embossed print. It puts me in mind of artists like Pierre Soulages, who've also explored the depths of black. Painting is like an ongoing conversation, where artists riff off each other, trying new things. And in the end, it is always a personal interpretation of our world.