Cercle vicieux rouge 1968

Evelyne Axell painted this image with a touch of humor, or perhaps a wink. She creates a body, not with paint, but with its absence, placing it in the middle of this intense red circle. I can imagine Evelyne applying layer after layer of that red, trying to get it just right. It’s an all-consuming red, a real statement, that feels like a reaction to the times. The circle contains the body, almost trapping it, which kind of flips the traditional gaze. I imagine Evelyne being like "I'm in control, I'm the one doing the looking." I like the way the legs almost disappear in the circle. It's as if Evelyne is playing with us, making us question what we’re really seeing. Artists are always speaking to one another across time, aren’t they? Each mark is a conversation between intention and chance, a dance between the artist and the canvas, creating a space where meaning is always shifting.