Standard Bearer 1979

Jacob Kainen made this piece called "Standard Bearer" with a bold, graphic sensibility. It's all about the push and pull of marks, and how they create a kind of visual rhythm. The color is subdued, mostly blacks and browns, but then you catch these little pops of unexpected pink, like a blush, peeking through. You can almost feel Kainen's hand moving across the surface. Look at the thick, juicy black lines that dominate the composition! They seem to have been applied with a loaded brush, and there's real confidence in the way they intersect and overlap. Then there are the thinner, more delicate lines that seem to dance around the heavier forms, creating a sense of depth and movement. It reminds me a little of Franz Kline, another artist who wasn't afraid to let the energy of his brushstrokes take center stage. But where Kline's work feels monumental, Kainen's has a more intimate, almost playful quality. It's like he's inviting us to join in the fun of making something new, one mark at a time.