1952 [Rings] 2006

Sarah Morris made this painting called 1952 [Rings] sometime after she was born, and it’s a puzzle of coloured circles. I love the geometry of it. I imagine Sarah beginning with an underpainting, maybe, and then carefully layering each shape. Those hard edges! It's so controlled. I wonder if it's taped off or if she has a really steady hand? The colours are so 1950s, but something about the composition feels really contemporary and fresh. The circles tumble and intersect, creating new shapes and surprising colour combinations. It reminds me a bit of Bridget Riley's Op Art, but with a playful twist, or even Leger. As painters, we're always looking at each other's work, borrowing ideas, and pushing them in new directions. It's a conversation across time and space, a kind of visual echo chamber. I like to think of artmaking as this kind of shared, ongoing process.