Flower 1969

Anne Truitt made this sculpture, Flower, out of wood and paint. It's a tall, quiet thing, this object, but it sings if you let it. The color is so specific, a kind of muted coral, almost like the inside of a seashell if you were to paint it with house paint. It's smooth, but I bet if you get up close, you can see the slight imperfections where the brush dragged. Think about the labor involved in making something so simple, all that sanding and layering of color. Look at the way the light hits the edges, how it defines the planes. It is a bit Agnes Martin, but it's also… itself. It doesn't need to shout; it just stands there, a flower of color, blooming in its own silent way. Truitt’s work is definitely about the process of seeing, making, and feeling. It's like she's saying, "Hey, slow down, look closely, and maybe you'll find something unexpected."