Robert Towne [Los Angeles] 2006

Sarah Morris made "Robert Towne [Los Angeles]" with household gloss paint and varnish in Los Angeles. The flat planes of color are giving me some major art deco vibes. I can imagine Morris carefully plotting each angle, each crisp line, embracing the clean, hard-edged geometry of modern architecture. It is a kind of painting that rejects the messiness of a loaded brush for the cool precision of pre-determined form. It’s all surface, literally! The glossy, reflective surface throws light around, making the space buzz with energy. Look at the interplay of red, green and black. There's a flattening of space with these geometric shapes, but it's a flat, hard, shiny surface. The overall effect is kind of a playful dance between control and spontaneity, where architecture meets abstraction. Thinking about Sarah Morris, I'm reminded of someone like Frank Stella, who also pushed the boundaries of painting into the realm of objecthood. Art isn't about answers, it’s more about opening up questions, right?