Untitled 2007

Here we have an ‘Untitled’ painting by Heimo Zobernig, made with simple color blocks, kind of like digital pixels, or maybe a coded message. I can imagine Zobernig making each square with a small brush, and maybe he was thinking about Mondrian, but with a sense of humor. I see the hand of the artist in each of those squares, you know? I can feel the rhythm and his intuitive sense, like the way that block of lavender meets that dark ultramarine blue. There is so much possibility here. It makes me think about how simple gestures can communicate feeling, intention, and meaning. These squares are like a conversation, with a limited vocabulary. It makes me think about what it means to paint and see the world in new ways. Like, what are the rules, and what happens when you break them? Artists are constantly talking to each other this way.