Barcelona 7 1989

Larry Bell made ‘Barcelona 7’ using paint, most likely applying it in layers to create a stunning visual experience. Look at how the color is laid down, shifting in tone from light to dark, from one side to the other of the canvas. I wonder what the artist was thinking as they created the image, and how it seemed to them as it emerged. Did they try other ways of doing it first, or did it just come straight out? There is something about the gradations that makes it feel like something is coming forward, something about the careful adjustments in color that speaks of slow looking. It reminds me of the work of Agnes Martin. It also makes me think about Robert Irwin, another West Coast artist, who was obsessed with the effects of light on surfaces. In the end, artists are always looking at each other’s work, and borrowing ideas, trying them out in different ways.