Untitled (Vertical Lines) 1963

Here we have an untitled painting by John McLaughlin, featuring vertical lines on a canvas. The interplay between these stark, dark forms and the light, neutral spaces that separate them presents a visual language stripped to its barest essence. Consider how the vertical line, a symbol laden with meaning, appears across cultures. Think of the Egyptian obelisks, reaching towards the heavens, or the columns of classical architecture, standing as testaments to human reason. McLaughlin's lines, while abstract, echo this upward thrust, this reaching for something beyond. But here, the stark contrast evokes a sense of division, a duality. The dark against the light, the solid against the void—this visual rhythm stirs a sense of the binary, the fundamental contrasts that define our existence, engaging viewers on a deep, subconscious level. As we consider McLaughlin's work, we see how the vertical line, stripped of overt symbolism, retains its primal power. It resurfaces, not as a mere geometric form, but as a carrier of cultural memory, a visual echo resonating through time.