Untitled 1950

Luchita Hurtado made this untitled image in her distinct style, using layered colors and simplified forms. I imagine her building up the image slowly, feeling her way through the shapes, maybe redrawing and rubbing out, trying to find just the right balance. There’s something really powerful about how the colors interact here, and how the figure is built up with layer upon layer of pastel. The ochre and pink, the way the colors are scumbled and blended, give the impression of an almost vibrating presence. It’s not quite a body, not quite a landscape, but something in between, a kind of elemental form emerging from the earth. It reminds me of other artists who are driven by a search for the essential forms and energies of life, like Hilma af Klint or Agnes Martin. It's all a reminder that artists are in constant conversation, borrowing and building upon each other's ideas across time. Painting lets us embrace uncertainty, allowing for different understandings and meanings.