Mofumbe 1943

Wifredo Lam made this painting, "Mofumbe", using oil on canvas, and it is HUGE. I love how the colors here are both vibrant and muted at the same time, creating this kind of dreamlike space that makes it really unclear what's up and what's down. When I look at this painting, I feel like I can almost taste the paint. Lam’s brushstrokes aren't trying to hide anything. You can see how he built up the layers, like in the top left corner, where the brushstrokes move in all different directions. It's a reminder that painting is really about the process, the back and forth, the push and pull. Lam reminds me a little of Picasso, whom he knew. Like Picasso, Lam was always trying to find new ways to represent the world, but Lam brought a completely unique sensibility to the project. So much of art is just this ongoing conversation across time, each artist building on what came before, but always with their own voice.