#10 2011

Brice Marden made this painting called "#10" without a date with a palette that feels both deliberate and open to chance, a combination I can really relate to. I see a surface worked and reworked, stains and patches—yellow, blue, black—each area holding its own while contributing to the whole composition. It makes me wonder about the conversations he was having with himself and with painting itself. The semi-translucent white areas remind me of Cy Twombly’s smeared surfaces, but here, Marden seems to be aiming for something different, more layered, like the way memories blur and merge. His gestures create depth but stay flat, teasing us with glimpses of what lies beneath. I love that push and pull. It's like he's whispering secrets about process, inviting us to participate in the discovery. Painting for me is a way of exploring the world, and I feel a kinship with artists like Marden, who approach the canvas with curiosity.