Untitled 1930

William Baziotes made this untitled painting using oil on canvas. It's like he's conjuring forms from the subconscious. Check out the way Baziotes lets these biomorphic shapes loop and intertwine. The warm palette of reds and yellows gives it a kind of internal glow. Look at the surface, you can almost feel the brushstrokes. It's not about hiding the process, but embracing it. I'm drawn to the way the red form seems to almost swallow the yellow. The way the paint is applied gives the painting a tactile quality, like clay being molded. It reminds me a little of Arshile Gorky, another artist wrestling with similar shapes. This piece feels like a conversation, an ongoing exploration.