Nachtvenster 1996

Eugene Brands made this abstract painting, Nachtvenster, with oil on canvas, exploring a stark palette of black, white, and red. I imagine him, brush in hand, circling the canvas, building up the dense, dark mass that dominates the composition. This bold black area, like a window, has a certain weight, but it's also undermined by the gestural marks that reveal the artist's hand. I can almost feel the push and pull of the brush, the layering of paint, the intuitive decisions made in the moment. The crimson shape adds a counterpoint, a burst of energy, anchoring the composition with its vibrant hue. Brands’ paintings make me think of other painters like Franz Kline, who used huge expressive brushstrokes, or even Ad Reinhardt with his nearly-black canvases. These artists are all in conversation, riffing on the possibilities of paint, and expressing something so much deeper.