Rosier-feuilles 1946

Marcel Barbeau made this painting, with its thick dark ground and a mass of wiry lines, perhaps in a single session of intense activity. I can almost see the artist's hand moving quickly across the surface, layering those looping marks. Were they thinking about the tangle of branches, the way foliage looks when the wind is rushing through it? Maybe the leaves are more like thoughts or memories? It feels like an exploration of mental space. There's an urgent energy in the painting, a sense of something being discovered in the process. It reminds me of other painters, such as Twombly, who embraced chance and improvisation, but there’s also something very personal and immediate about the work. Artists are always talking to each other across generations. Ultimately, for me, painting is about the act of making and embracing whatever comes up. There’s no right or wrong, just an ongoing exchange.