Cows at Pasture 1969

Grégoire Michonze made this painting of cows at pasture with what looks like oil paint, and a decisive hand. There's something so lovely about the pure green-ness of this scene. Michonze isn’t trying to trick you into thinking it’s real, instead it’s more like a memory of a place, or a feeling – verdant, fresh, and full of life. The cows themselves are rendered in a range of muted tones, greys, browns, and greens, blending into the landscape, as though the tones of the herd belong to the earth. Look closely, and you can see the texture of the brushstrokes, the way the paint has been applied in layers, building up a rich surface. In the foreground, the odd white line is almost like a rogue scribble, adding an element of playfulness to the composition, like a counterpoint to the earthy tones of the greens and browns. The overall feeling reminds me of Milton Avery, in its flattening of space and its focus on colour and form. It feels like part of an ongoing conversation about how we see and represent the world around us.