Untitled #6 1959

Milton Resnick made this "Untitled #6" painting with expressive marks and a muted colour palette, mostly greys. I can imagine Resnick in his studio, brush in hand, layering strokes, maybe even scraping back into them, allowing the painting to emerge bit by bit. I feel for the artist here. There's a real struggle to find form, maybe even a kind of desperation, as if Resnick were trying to wrestle something into existence, but without a clear plan. He has a clear understanding of how colours interact. The paint looks thickly applied, a physical record of his process. That green slash, though, it feels almost defiant against the somber tones, a sudden burst of energy. Resnick was clearly in conversation with other painters who grappled with abstraction. Ultimately, this piece reveals the ongoing dialogue artists have, inspiring and pushing one another to explore and create. Painting is an embodied form of expression, embracing uncertainty and open to endless interpretations.