Mandala I 1972

John McCracken created "Mandala I", a circular painting composed of concentric rings of color set against a black background. I can only imagine McCracken slowly, meditatively building it up, layer by layer. It feels related to the West Coast Light and Space movement; the hard edge of the color bands contrast with the infinite black. I can almost feel him willing himself to keep the lines perfectly crisp, the edges clean, almost like an exercise in control, or a feat of engineering as much as painting. The palette feels like a rainbow that’s been slightly dulled or muted, and the center feels like it has an opening. It's like you could tumble right through the void. There’s something very human about the slight imperfections of the rings. In that sense, it’s a reminder that even in the most minimal, controlled situations, there's room for error, room for feeling. It's the humanity that creeps in. I like that.