Honor Pythagoras, Per I--Per VI 1964

Alfred Jensen made "Honor Pythagoras, Per I--Per VI" with a clear love for geometry and colour theory; you can just feel him trying to find the magical source code of the universe. What would it be like to get totally obsessed with the idea that numbers hold the key to everything? The careful way the shapes have been rendered makes me think of Agnes Martin. The surface looks pretty smooth, and it feels very planned, but painting is such a physical process—I imagine Jensen getting into a meditative state, carefully placing those colours down. The palette is like old-school children's book illustrations, which makes me feel nostalgic. It’s not just about math; it’s also about feeling your way through, a colorful intuition. That sun-like circle on the right really pops! I can feel the artist’s mind stretching, trying to grasp something bigger than himself. We’re all in the same club, reaching across time, trying to figure stuff out through paint.