Symbols of Life 1967

Walter Battiss made this image, called ‘Symbols of Life’, and right away, I see his interest in mark making. The whole picture is built up of simple motifs, like the earliest forms of writing, and it’s really tempting to see the process as a kind of archaeology. Battiss hasn’t layered the paint here; he’s used a limited palette and he’s kept it flat. This emphasizes the interplay of figure and ground, so you see the way the shapes form these dynamic patterns. The dark, horizontal form that runs across the middle distance, like a band of hieroglyphs, gives the composition structure. I like the way the brown colour is dragged over the canvas, so the black shows through. For me that’s what painting is all about - the push and pull of colour, line and texture. Battiss reminds me of Paul Klee, in his fascination with ancient art and his interest in signs and symbols. But ultimately, the real symbol here is the painting itself, a record of the artist’s own private language.