Rhythmische Teilung 1949

Richard Paul Lohse made this painting, Rhythmische Teilung, out of vertical stripes of different colours. I imagine the act of painting it as a kind of meditative process, each stripe carefully considered in relation to the others. I can see Lohse in his studio thinking hard about colour, its relative tone and intensity. He places these stripes alongside each other, orange and yellow against off white – imagining how the eye might move between each section. There is an underlying logic to its construction. The stripes are evenly spaced, creating a sense of order and harmony. Yet there is also something playful about the piece. Lohse’s engagement with color and form reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, another minimalist painter who explores color and the grid.