Mango Mango 1973

Red Grooms made this painting – Mango Mango – with juicy colors and shapes that pop right off the canvas. I imagine him, brush in hand, layering those bright yellows, blues, and reds, almost like he's building a stage set. You can feel the energy of the performance, the bold outlines giving the figures a cartoon-like exuberance. It’s as if Grooms is thinking about the theater, the way bodies move and interact in space. Look at the way the man holds the woman – it’s stylized, a little awkward, yet full of life. Maybe Grooms was influenced by the work of other painters that explored similar themes, like the pop art of the time. This painting seems to be speaking to earlier works while finding its own distinct voice. And that’s what art is, really – a big conversation across time, with each artist adding their own unique flavor to the mix.