Untitled 1954

This is a painting by Claude Georges, probably oil or acrylic on canvas, worked with big gestures and a dark palette punctuated by reds and whites. The surface looks richly worked, maybe built up over time, then scraped away, then added to again. I wonder what it was like for Georges to be in the studio making this? Was he frustrated or excited? I can imagine him mixing up a big pile of brownish-grey and slathering it on, then adding the red for emphasis, almost like punctuation. Look at the dripping lines of white that create the sensation of something dissolving, while the reds are assertive, passionate. Those reds feel like they are really holding the painting together, you know? Georges is part of a long line of painters who weren’t afraid to get messy, exploring what paint can do, and pushing the limits of how it can express feeling. Every brushstroke is a record of a decision, a thought, a feeling. It's like he is in a dialogue with all the painters who came before him. It's inspiring, no?