Reconciliation Elegy 1978

Robert Motherwell made this painting, Reconciliation Elegy, on a large scale, with acrylic and charcoal on canvas. Just imagine him making these big, sweeping gestures across such a huge surface! The stark black shapes against the white feel both forceful and vulnerable. I can picture Motherwell, wrestling with the canvas, each mark a negotiation between intention and accident. You can see a conversation happening—the push and pull, trial and error, all laid bare. These aren't just abstract forms; they're loaded with feeling. Motherwell was known for his Elegy paintings, and you can see how he's engaging with themes of loss, memory, and maybe even hope, echoing Goya, Manet, and the Spanish masters, but also looking forward. It’s a dance between the personal and the universal, with the painting as a site for mourning and, as the title suggests, maybe finding peace.