Table basse 1992

This is an interesting painting by Francois Arnal, made with big gestures in red, green and blue on a white background. I can imagine the artist here, standing at the canvas, maybe on the floor, pushing the paint around, sometimes with a brush, sometimes directly, and sometimes with whatever else was in the studio! I wonder what Arnal was thinking, the red pile at the bottom is very intense and active. Perhaps the painting relates to earlier abstract paintings or even cubist landscapes. You can see the hand of the artist making decisions in real time, a back and forth. But he’s also letting the paint do its thing, right? The overall effect is immediate, like one big breath. Like all good painting, this one leaves a lot of space for the viewer to bring their own stories and questions. That is, after all, how artists keep the conversation alive!