November 1963 III 1963

Edward Corbett made this painting, November 1963 III, out of blocks of color. It’s a strange, simple recipe, right? A big white area, then an orange one, then black, then blue. When I look at this, I think about how marks can be really direct and unpretentious, without being blunt. The paint isn’t thick, but you can see the way the brush moved. There’s no attempt to hide that a person put this color down, or to make it slick. See how the orange is almost like a dry, powdery pigment, really matte. It’s not luxurious, but that’s what I like about it. That thin, slightly wonky orange line almost dividing the canvas makes me think of Agnes Martin. Corbett, like Martin, is talking about being calm. The painting becomes more about the act of making it, the process and the openness. It’s not about showing off, it's more about offering a feeling.