Exercise in free color use c. 20th century

Editor: This is "Exercise in free color use" by M. Lupow, here at the Harvard Art Museums. It's quite small, and the watercolor bleeds and blends so much. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Consider the deliberate use of non-representational form. The artist foregrounds color and gesture, which become the primary subjects, eschewing traditional form and narrative. The interplay between the warm hues of red, yellow, and orange, and the cool blues generates a chromatic tension. Does this tension resonate with you? Editor: It does, a bit! I didn't realize how much the blue offset everything else. Thanks! Curator: It is in that tension that Lupow establishes the painting's visual interest and intellectual depth.