Trace 1979

John Hoyland made "Trace" in 1979, and I can just imagine him working on it! The dominant color is red, various shades of it, and there's a strong black geometric shape in the lower left corner. It makes me wonder if he started with the color field and then introduced the form, or vice versa? You can see the hand of the artist in the broad strokes and layering of color, like he's feeling his way through the painting, almost excavating it. It has a raw, immediate quality, as if he's trying to capture a fleeting thought or emotion. I think it can be helpful to consider this work in relation to the art of his contemporaries, like Patrick Heron and Bernard Cohen, who were also interested in pushing the boundaries of abstract painting at that time. Painting, especially abstract painting, is like a visual record of an artist's thinking process. I think Hoyland is showing us that here. It's a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. So let’s keep that conversation going...