Stillness 1956

Jimmy Ernst made this artwork titled, Stillness, using monochromatic blacks and grays to create a feeling of calm. The work is very linear. He's really working out some architectural or maybe even nautical ideas. The surface has a kind of deep, velvety texture, even though it appears flat. It's like he’s inviting us to dive into this quiet, contemplative space, by creating marks with thin dark lines over a dark ground. I love the way he uses these marks to build depth and layers. Looking closely, there’s this one spot, a cluster of fine lines that almost vibrate, like a hidden energy source. It reminds me that stillness isn’t just the absence of noise, but a kind of potent, pregnant pause. You know, Ernst's work shares a certain mood with Agnes Martin’s paintings. Both artists explore ideas of spirituality and transcendence through a minimalist vocabulary. It’s like they're both whispering secrets about the nature of perception.