Untitled 1957

This untitled work was made in 1957 by Marcel Barbeau, most likely with ink on paper. You can imagine Barbeau in the studio with a brush loaded with black ink, making these big, swooping gestures. There’s such a sense of immediacy and speed, like he’s trying to capture something fleeting, a thought or a feeling, before it disappears. I can feel the pull of gravity as the ink drips and splatters, there's a push and pull between control and chance. I bet Barbeau was thinking about the Surrealists at the time, maybe even experimenting with automatism and trying to let his subconscious take over. I think of Franz Kline, too, and all the other Abstract Expressionists who were using bold, gestural marks to express themselves. But there’s also something very personal and intimate about this work. It’s like a little window into Barbeau’s mind. You feel this energy, this raw emotion, and that is how artists continue to inspire each other across time.