Blue Riders 2006

Chris Ofili made this watercolour painting, Blue Riders, with broad strokes of blue, a bold and almost playful choice. It's a single colour world, a study in the possibilities of blue. Look at how the blue seeps and pools. The paint isn’t trying to hide itself. It is a very liquid application, a thin wash, and in some areas, it almost looks like it's been scrubbed into the paper. The colour isn’t overworked, it’s like Ofili let the watercolour do its own thing. See how the horse almost dissolves into the background? This makes me think of Elizabeth Murray who also let the paint have its own life. Ofili’s piece isn't about perfection; it’s about exploring the fluidity and texture that watercolor can create, and it embraces the unpredictable nature of artmaking. It's like the artwork is in conversation with itself, a dialogue between intention and accident.