Pond 1 1975

Warren Rohrer made this painting, Pond 1, using delicate horizontal lines of color. Look at the subtle shifts of pinks and greens, how the painting seems to breathe with a quiet, inner light. I imagine Rohrer, with incredible patience, building up these layers, a meditative act, like counting breaths. I think he was thinking of Agnes Martin and the way she thinks about landscape. There is also something of the Pennsylvania landscape in this work, and I wonder if he was outside looking. Notice how the lines aren't perfectly straight but waver and break, a little bit like handwriting. These tiny imperfections give the painting its pulse, its life. It’s like he’s whispering secrets onto the canvas, inviting us to lean in and listen. And, like any good painting, the more you look, the more it gives back. That's the best thing, isn't it?