Pale 2010

Wolf Kahn painted *Pale* with loose strokes and a pastel palette that makes me think of cotton candy skies. Imagine Kahn standing before the canvas, maybe outdoors, squinting at the light. I wonder if the light shifted a lot while he was painting? He probably had to work fast, capturing the essence of the trees with those hazy verticals and the pale pink sky before the moment passed. The paint is applied thinly, almost like watercolor, allowing the surface to breathe. Look at how the strokes vary in pressure and direction, creating a sense of movement and depth. It reminds me of Fairfield Porter’s landscapes. Painting is such a back-and-forth process, an ongoing exchange. Kahn was inspired by others, and in turn, he inspires us to see the world with fresh eyes. There is an ambiguity that lets this artwork remain open to interpretation.