Surprize #6 1980

George McNeil made this roughly square print, called ‘Surprize #6’ with lithographic ink—you can see the red, yellow, brown, and green layered up on the paper, can’t you? I can imagine him really going for it with each layer, not worrying too much, embracing mistakes to see what happens. It’s like he’s coaxing these funny faces out of the stone or plate, one bold stroke at a time. I wonder, was he thinking about what it's like to be surprised, that fleeting moment of shock or joy? Look at the way those lines squiggle and dance—there’s a real energy here. The colors vibrate against each other, the red and yellow really pop. McNeil's work reminds me of other artists who were trying to let loose and find new ways to express themselves, like the German Expressionists. It makes me wonder what other surprises he had up his sleeve and how artists keep the conversation going, pushing each other to see the world in fresh and unexpected ways.