Tattoed 1958

Alfred Jensen made this painting, Tattoed, with oil paint sometime in the 20th century. It's like a puzzle made of color, a mosaic of tiny decisions. The surface is thick, almost sculpted with paint. Look closely, you can see how he loaded up the brush, each stroke a little hill of pigment. There's this dark, arching form in the center, a heavy presence. The white rectangle trapped inside looks almost like an escape hatch. It contrasts with the colourful busyness all around it. It’s not just paint; it's matter, built up layer by layer. You can almost feel the push and pull of the brush, the artist wrestling with the colors. Jensen reminds me a bit of Hilma af Klint, another artist obsessed with hidden systems, with making visible the invisible. Both of them teach us that art doesn't have to explain, it can explore.