Work 1957

Akira Kanayama made this painting called 'Work' with colourful and gestural marks. I can imagine Kanayama in the studio, flicking the brush loaded with paint, throwing black, red, and blue lines across the surface. It looks like a frantic, all-over composition, like a swarm of tiny lines colliding and merging. But there's also a sense of control, like the artist is guiding the chaos. The paint is pretty thin, which allows these lines to be so delicate and precise. I love the way a painting like this captures a specific moment in time and embodies energy. There’s a kinship here with other action painters like Pollock, but Kanayama brings his own sensibility to the process. Artists are always riffing off each other, picking up on ideas and pushing them in new directions. Painting isn't about answers; it’s about questions. It embraces ambiguity, allowing us to interpret the work in different ways. It's an invitation to think and feel.