Manet II 1999

Sam Gilliam made "Manet II" with paint and collage on canvas, and immediately you can tell that it's all about process. The colors are layered and splattered; they bleed into one another to create a vibrant, chaotic surface. Gilliam's work is so physical. You can see the textures, the built-up layers of paint and paper. Nothing is concealed here, the raw materiality is palpable. Take the circular motif at the bottom for instance: it's like a little window into Gilliam's world, where colors, shapes, and textures collide. It's controlled chaos. Gilliam's approach reminds me of Robert Rauschenberg, who also embraced collage and a kind of messy beauty in his work. Like Rauschenberg, Gilliam sees art as an ongoing conversation. There's no one right way to interpret it, and that's what makes it so exciting.