Be I 1970

Barnett Newman made this painting, Be I, with oil on canvas, and it's like stepping into a world of pure color and form. Newman’s known for these big fields of color, divided by what he called ‘zips’. Here, we have this intense red, a color that grabs you, and then this vertical line, the zip, cutting through it. It's not just a line, though; it's got this subtle texture, a kind of shimmering quality against the flat, velvety red. You can almost feel the way the paint was applied, maybe with a palette knife or a really steady hand. For me, it’s a reminder that painting is a process, an ongoing conversation between the artist, the material, and the viewer. Newman’s zips have always reminded me a little of the work of Agnes Martin. Both artists use simple geometric forms to create contemplative, almost spiritual spaces. It's a testament to art's ability to embrace ambiguity, to be both simple and complex at the same time.