Untitled II 1952

Franz Kline made this painting using bold strokes of black paint on what looks like a page torn from the phone book. I can only imagine what Kline was thinking as he was making this, probably thrashing out the composition, intuitively finding his way across the surface, and really feeling the physicality of his medium! The brushstrokes vary in thickness and intensity, some dense and opaque, others more diluted and transparent, which creates a dynamic play of light and shadow. Look at the raw energy in those marks! They’re so direct. It feels like each stroke is a record of a specific moment of decision-making and the layering of the marks, they create a sense of depth and movement, as if the painting is constantly evolving before our eyes. Kline was part of a wider group of artists interested in abstraction, constantly bouncing ideas off each other. Ultimately, painting is an ongoing conversation; each artist builds upon what came before. Isn’t that amazing?