Chatel 1955

Richard Mortensen made "Chatel" with paint on canvas, and I'm thinking maybe some tape and a straight edge were involved. Looking at this painting I feel the artist in the process of making, and un-making—revising lines, forms, and edges. The dark greens and blacks push against some paler bluey-white shapes that seem to be folding into each other. I wonder if Mortensen worked on this all at once, wet into wet, or if he allowed layers to dry, building up the image over time. There is something kind of provisional about it. The lines and shapes intersect but don't quite meet, leaving gaps and overlaps that create a sense of depth and movement. These shapes create a dynamic composition that invites us to wander through its planes and angles. "Chatel" reminds us that painting is always a conversation, an ongoing experiment in seeing and feeling.