1947-H-No. 3 1947

Clyfford Still made this oil painting in 1947, and it lives at SFMOMA. Look at the way Still attacks the canvas with broad strokes. It’s this bold back-and-forth that makes you think about artmaking as a really physical process. The colors are simple – mostly black and white – but the texture is where it gets interesting. The paint is thick, like he's sculpting with it. See that one decisive gesture in the middle, a downward thrust of black? It's like a fissure, a break in the earth, and it gives the whole piece this raw, almost violent energy. Still’s work reminds me a bit of Franz Kline, another painter who wasn’t afraid of stark contrasts and bold moves. But Still has his own voice, his own way of turning ambiguity into something powerful. There's no one right way to see it; it’s up to you to bring your own story to the canvas.