Comme un tapis de prière 1962

Horia Damian made "Comme un tapis de prière" using paint, and probably a brush or two. I look at this painting and I think about the vulnerability of making something, anything. I feel a kinship with Damian. He was there in the studio, wrestling with ideas of form and maybe even the divine, with the gold frame giving the image an iconographic feel. The process of painting involves so much trial and error. I can see him layering and scraping, almost like a drawing. The brushstrokes in the white area are so physical and expressive, alive with an energy. The colors—mauves and whites—create a space that feels both intimate and infinite, like a whisper. Painters are always in conversation, riffing off each other’s ideas, so it’s nice to think about how this work relates to others across time. For me, painting is an ongoing process that requires constant engagement with the material. I find the ambiguity of this work reassuring. It feels human.