Sem título 1975

Menez made this untitled painting with a muted palette of browns, blues, and creams, and you can imagine him working on it, building up the surface with washes, maybe even scraping back in places. It reminds me of Diebenkorn, but also Morandi, maybe because there’s something architectural or landscape-ish about it. I wonder if Menez was thinking about structures when he made this? Look at how that vertical line slices through the composition, creating tension between the upper and lower parts of the painting. You can almost feel him trying to find the right balance, adjusting the tones and shapes until everything locks into place. It's that physical involvement, the back and forth, that makes painting so alive and engaging. Painters are always looking at each other's work, picking up ideas, and pushing them further.