Untitled 1950 - 1951

This is an Untitled painting by Willem de Kooning, and it's done with ink on paper. It’s all about marks, right? De Kooning makes it look so easy, so breezy – but don’t be fooled! I bet he labored over every single one of those brushstrokes. What was he thinking when he made this? Maybe he was trying to empty his mind, let the ink flow, and see what emerged. The starkness of the black ink against the white paper is so striking. I can see how one mark responds to the other, they have this energy, they talk to each other, pushing and pulling. And that drip, right in the centre – was that intentional? Or a happy accident? It doesn't matter... This piece makes me think of other painters who aren’t afraid to let go, to embrace chance, and to let the painting lead the way. We're all in conversation with each other as painters, riffing off ideas, inspiring new ways of seeing. And really, that's what painting is all about - it's a way to make things emerge in front of you.