Untitled 1956

Avigdor Arikha made this painting using oil paint, and you can see how the brushstrokes just dance across the surface. I imagine him working quickly, spontaneously, trying to capture a fleeting impression. The paint is applied in short, choppy strokes, and the colors are light and airy—blues, greens, and creams. It gives the sense of a landscape, but one seen through a haze of memory or emotion. I’m sure he was wrestling with something, trying to pin down a feeling or an idea. He’s part of a long conversation between painters, each of us picking up where the others left off, and pushing the language of painting in new directions. The real story of painting lies in this constant exchange, this ongoing dialogue. There are so many ways of seeing, and painting offers endless possibilities for exploring them.