Triptyque du Dragon 1967

Jean Helion’s Triptyque du Dragon is awash with watery blues and tans, built of shapes so simplified they’re almost cartoonish. I bet this thing came into being in fits and starts, emerging and submerging through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Helion because making something this big is like wrestling a dragon. I imagine him stepping back, squinting, maybe muttering to himself as he applied these planes of color. Thick in places, thin in others. Look at the way that central figure plays his accordion. He’s got a feeling, an intention, and a message to bring us. It makes me think of Leger’s cityscapes and how paintings are conversations across time. We're all inspiring each other’s creativity. Painting is about embracing ambiguity, allowing for multiple meanings and open readings. I feel the dragon here!