Untitled 1963

John McLaughlin made this untitled painting with what looks like acrylic on canvas, and right away you can see he's into keeping things simple. It's all about these big, flat areas of color, but it's not just about the colors themselves, it's about how they bump up against each other, right? I think the texture is super important here. Look closely, and you'll see that the paint isn't trying to hide itself. It's not super thick, but you can still see the slight variations, the little imperfections where the brush moved. That one skinny dark stripe on the right? It's like a zipper holding the whole thing together. It keeps the white and black from just floating away. I'm reminded a little of Agnes Martin, the way she used simple forms to create a space for contemplation. But where Martin is all about the subtle and ethereal, McLaughlin is more like a punch in the gut! It's a reminder that art can be about feeling, not just seeing.