Bird Woman 1978

Eileen Agar made "Bird Woman" with paint on, I think, some kind of board. The colours are really what grab me here – the blues and greens feel watery, but the browns have this earthy groundedness. Looking closely, you can see the way the paint is laid on in these flat areas, especially in the face; it’s not trying to trick you into thinking it's anything other than paint. It’s like she's saying, “Here’s the thing, and here’s how I made the thing.” The texture is smooth, but the brushstrokes are visible, giving it this really handmade quality. That little bird in the corner, it's such a simple shape, but it pulls the whole piece together. It’s a reminder that even within abstraction, there's always a little bit of reality poking through. I love the way Agar embraces ambiguity – it reminds me of Francis Picabia's playful approach to representation, where things are never quite what they seem.