Testament 1964

Jeremy Moon made this painting, Testament, with blocks of flat, unmodulated colour. The painting is less about the individual colours themselves and more about how they speak to one another. It’s like a conversation happening right there on the canvas. Up close, you can see that the texture is smooth, almost machine-like. It gives the work a clean, industrial feel and suggests a process of layering. There’s something so direct about the way each colour stands firm next to the other, not blending, not fading, just being. That narrow band of green in the middle feels particularly loaded – so thin, yet so present. It sets off the other colours like an unexpected chord in a song. It’s interesting to think about other artists who were playing with colour and form, like Barnett Newman, who aimed to evoke a sense of sublime awe. It suggests that art is an ongoing, evolving language where artists build upon, respond to, and sometimes challenge each other's visions.