Atmospherics 1939

Conroy Maddox made Atmospherics with paint and probably a brush. Look at that tan surface, almost like a watercolor stain, against which these little figures are placed. I imagine Maddox, alone with his thoughts, coaxing these strange shapes into being. They’re like creatures, aren’t they? Some of them look like pipes, others like limbs or torsos. I wonder if he was thinking about automatism? The surrealists were really interested in this idea, the idea of a practice without conscious thought, trying to let the unconscious speak. See how he has let the colours bleed together? Look at that green, melting into the red. It gives these shapes a life of their own. And what about that green and white ball? It just hovers there, adding to the dreamlike quality. It makes me think of other surrealists like Miro or Tanguy who were also inventing this new world of art. It’s as if they were all in conversation, riffing off each other’s ideas and inventing new forms. Painting is an ongoing exchange—a continuous process of experimenting, failing, and learning.