Message #1 1982

Warren Rohrer created *Message #1* using dark greens and blacks. The canvas feels like a site of inquiry. I can almost see Rohrer moving the paint around, pushing and pulling, layering and scraping. Look at the way the colors shift, from a lighter green at the top to an almost solid black bar at the bottom. It's as though Rohrer was trying to capture the essence of something elusive, maybe a feeling or a memory. The marks are so subtle, like whispers on the surface. The overall effect is one of quiet intensity. I wonder what Rohrer was thinking about when he made this? Maybe he was wrestling with some big questions, using the act of painting as a way to work through them. The history of painting is a huge conversation that artists have been having with each other for centuries! Painting embraces uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.