Relational painting, Tondo #4 1946

Fritz Glarner made this relational painting, Tondo #4, with oil on canvas, though when is not clear. It’s all about relationships, right? I mean, look at how Glarner’s got these bars playing off each other in primary colors—red, yellow, blue—with the stark black lines grounding them. They remind me of a De Stijl painting mixed with a game of pick-up sticks! You can practically feel the artist figuring it out as he goes. The surface has this beautiful, quiet energy, not super smooth, just enough texture to know it's paint on canvas. It’s not trying to hide anything. I especially like the way the grey kind of peeks through in places, almost like the painting’s breathing. That little touch of yellow, cutting across near the bottom – that's the zing! Glarner was really dialled into what Mondrian was up to. But you see, Mondrian’s all about the grid, Glarner throws in these curves, these Tondos, its like he wants to mess with the formula, make it his own. Art's just a big conversation anyway, right?