89a 1989

Atsuko Tanaka made this painting, 89a, with synthetic polymer paint, and looking at it, I get the sense that she was really going for it. The circles of color, some solid, some with halos, float and cluster. I can imagine her in the studio, thinking about circuitry or constellations, maybe even the cells in our bodies, that's what comes to my mind. The thin black lines kind of act like wires or maybe pathways connecting each orb. What I really like about the piece is the range of blues – from indigo to teal to cobalt – mixed with greens, yellows, and oranges. It makes me think about Helen Frankenthaler's soak-stain paintings, but Tanaka’s lines and circles are way more structured. It’s like she’s mapping out a new kind of world. In a way, artists are always doing that, aren't they? They're in constant dialogue across time. And we get to listen in.