The Parachutists 1944

William Baziotes made “The Parachutists” with oil, conjuring these figures out of a patchwork of colour and line. Look at the surface, how the paint is layered, scraped back, and drawn into. There’s a sense of the artist feeling his way through the composition. The colours aren't mixed to perfection; they maintain their own distinct, raw energy. Focus on the black form in the centre. It has this lovely drippy quality. The black is applied thinly and allowed to run, creating these subtle gradations and textures. It’s almost as if he's letting the paint do its own thing, embracing chance and accident. It reminds me a bit of Gorky's biomorphic shapes, but with a more playful, less tormented feel. Ultimately, "The Parachutists" presents us with a space where things are not quite defined, but always in process, always becoming. A bit like art itself, really.