Untitled (Sunset Series 33 ) 1965

John Altoon made this untitled painting, possibly an oil on canvas, as part of his Sunset Series. The colour palette here is very constrained – browns, blues, and greys – and the marks are loose and gestural. I think this really highlights that painting is not just about depicting something, it's about the process, the act of applying paint to a surface. Looking closely, you can see how Altoon layers the paint, building up the surface with thin washes and thicker strokes. There's a real physicality to the medium, you can almost feel the texture of the canvas beneath the paint. The central diamond shape has this glowing blue and purple hue, which seems to hover in the centre of the painting. Altoon's work, with its blend of abstraction and figuration, reminds me of some of Philip Guston's later paintings. Both artists embraced ambiguity, leaving space for multiple interpretations and possibilities.