Square Motif, Blue and Gold: The Eclipse 1950

Victor Pasmore's *Square Motif, Blue and Gold: The Eclipse* is a painting built up through layers, where the initial idea has shifted through trial, error, and intuition. The dominant colour palette of gold, blue, red, black, green, and white, along with the use of geometric shapes, evokes a sense of structure and balance. I can imagine Pasmore making the painting, building it up block by block, maybe starting with a sketch, maybe not. You know, how each painted square required deliberation and adjustment. There’s the tension between control and chance. Look at the contrast of textures, where the paint is sometimes thick and opaque and other times thin and translucent, allowing the canvas beneath to peek through, which creates a dynamic and unpredictable surface. The swirling motif at the top can feel cosmic, like an eclipse occurring. It reminds me of the work of Paul Klee, who also was interested in exploring the relationship between colour, form, and abstraction. And it feels to me as if Pasmore and Klee are in an ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, and this piece leaves space for multiple readings.