Paris 1968

Princess Fahrelnissa Zeid made "Paris" with paint, and probably a brush, maybe even a rag. Look at all the different colours—yellows, reds, blacks, and even a few whites—like a garden in full bloom. I can just imagine her putting down one stroke, then another, letting the painting slowly come into being. I bet she was thinking about the city itself. Was it an exciting place, or a lonely one? You know, when I'm painting, I often think about the push and pull between colors—how they interact, where they clash, and how they find resolution. I can see the artist really working out how to get the painting to hum. There is one particular gesture, a burst of red and pink, that reminds me of Joan Mitchell's expressive brushwork. It is like Zeid is saying, "Here I am, in Paris, making my mark." And that's what painting is all about, isn't it? We're all just trying to figure things out, one brushstroke at a time, talking to each other across time.