Composition 1954

Huguette Arthur Bertrand made this painting, Composition, with oil paint, and I love the way she’s put it together, bit by bit. The colors are muted, kind of earthy, and there's this strong sense of structure, like an architectural drawing, but everything's slightly off. There's a passage right in the middle where she's built up these incredible vertical lines. Some are thick, black, and decisive, others are thin and gray, almost like whispers. You can almost feel her hand moving across the canvas, deciding where each one should go. They give the painting a sense of depth. It’s like looking into a forest, or maybe even a city street. Bertrand reminds me of Agnes Martin who, in a very different way, explores repetition and small variations, but I think it is the structure that connects them for me. It makes me wonder what she was thinking about as she made this. Did she have a plan, or was she just letting the paint lead the way? Either way, it’s a painting that stays with you, constantly shifting and revealing new things each time you look at it.