Pour saluer Pierre Soulages 2010

Charles Bezie made this painting, Pour Saluer Pierre Soulages, out of what appears to be dark paint, and a lot of it. At first glance, it's almost entirely black. But look closer, and you'll see that there are subtle differences in texture. Bezie seems interested in the play of light on the surface, manipulating the paint to create both matte and reflective areas. See the way the rectangles build diagonally across the surface? It’s a conversation between flatness and depth. The squares feel like they're emerging from, or maybe sinking into, this field of darkness, it has a physical presence that’s really compelling. This piece brings to mind the work of Ad Reinhardt, in the way it uses very subtle tonal variations to create a kind of meditative space.