Shadows I #3 1979

This hazy painting, Shadows I #3, was made by Andy Warhol, and feels to me like the moment just after waking up. There’s a big bloom of crimson red and a soft dark blue that bleeds together, like when your eyes haven’t quite focused yet. I wonder, when Warhol was making this, did he feel like he was trying to capture something fleeting, like a memory fading away? You can almost feel the texture of the spray paint, and see where one color gently meets another. It reminds me of other abstract painters who were playing with color and form, like Helen Frankenthaler. They were all part of this big, ongoing conversation, pushing painting in new directions. Paintings like this show us that art isn’t just about making a perfect picture. It’s also about feeling, about trying things out, and about being okay with not knowing exactly what will happen in the end. And it’s nice to think that we’re all part of that messy, beautiful process together.