Untitled 1954

This untitled work was made in 1954 by Shozo Shimamoto using, it seems, paint and paper. The making of this piece feels kind of performative to me. The colors are bold, but limited. That square of bright yellow is so strident, like a warning sign, and the black swooshes feel like they are fighting against it. It makes me think about what it means to be a painter – not just someone who applies paint, but someone who wrestles with the medium, and puts their whole body into the process. Look closely, and you can see these tiny flecks of white – like the painting is breathing, or sparkling. Shimamoto feels like a kindred spirit; his work reminds me of Yves Klein, especially in the way he embraces chance and accident. But really, all art is a conversation across time and space. We are all just borrowing and stealing from each other, trying to make sense of this crazy world.