Signs III 1981

Hedda Sterne made this, one of her 'Signs', with pale oil paint on canvas. You can imagine her, layering and layering the paint, letting it pool and settle to create a sense of vast, quiet space. I can picture her, alone in her studio, figuring out how to make these tiny marks that stretch across the horizon, like some kind of secret alphabet or code. It's delicate work. Look how the paint is thinned way down, almost like watercolor, so the surface underneath still shows through, creating a subtle texture. Each stroke seems so tentative, like she’s feeling her way through some unseen landscape. It feels related to the work of Agnes Martin. A whole generation of artists were finding ways to create their own language through these quiet, repetitive gestures. Sterne shows us that painting isn’t just about making a picture but about discovering something new in the act of making. I find her approach so inspiring.