Dichotomic Organization 1959

Lorser Feitelson made this angular painting using flat areas of orange, black, and blue. Imagine the simple pleasure of filling those shapes in, one by one, maybe even carefully masking them off. I wonder, was Feitelson thinking about the way forms relate to one another? What they reveal and conceal? The black shapes cut into the space like a paper cutout, creating a dynamic tension with the solid orange. I'm guessing he wanted to explore the push and pull between contrasting elements, maybe even the interaction between order and chaos. This painting reminds me a bit of what Barnett Newman was doing, that same reductive approach but with a West Coast vibe, like a sunny day at the beach in Southern California. Ultimately, painting is an act of exploration, a way of thinking through feeling, and Feitelson, like all artists, contributes to the endless conversation about what painting can be.