Versumpfung Einer Venus 6 1963

This image is from a series of performative paintings made by Otto Muehl, an Austrian artist. It’s interesting to consider how paint becomes a kind of skin, or even an obscuring mask. You can see these figures covered, or perhaps trapped, in the mud-like paint, in what looks like a studio space with buckets of material everywhere. As a painter, I know that a studio can feel like that. In Muehl's world, painting isn't just about applying colors to a canvas; it's about using the body as a medium, pushing the boundaries of what art can be. The paint is thick, viscous, and seems to cling to everything it touches. The physical engagement with the medium is palpable. Imagine Muehl’s intense concentration, the deliberate yet chaotic application of paint. Thinking about paintings like this makes me reflect on what we, as artists, inherit. How we are constantly building upon, reacting to, and challenging the ideas of those who came before. Painting is an evolving language, full of gestures. It invites you to bring your own feelings to the canvas.