Red Landscape 1948

Willi Baumeister made this painting, called Red Landscape, with oil paint. It seems to come into being through a dance between the planned and the accidental. I can imagine Baumeister, brush in hand, circling the canvas, maybe squinting, deciding where to make his next mark, allowing intuition to guide his hand. You know, a little push, a little pull. The tan surface looks like it's been combed to create the textured background. And then these geometric shapes are placed delicately on top. They are like characters in a play, each with its own distinct personality. The red landscape gives it a kind of otherworldly feel, as if the artist is inviting us into his own private universe. There's a conversation happening with other painters here, with Klee and Kandinsky, you know. Painting is an exchange across time, it embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations. It can keep on being surprising and that’s its power.