Couplet III 1989

Brice Marden made Couplet III with oil on paper, it has these looping lines, kinda geometric, kinda not, in muted blues and greens. I can imagine Marden making this, layering those lines, each one a decision, a response to the last, building up a web of connections. Is he thinking about Cy Twombly, or calligraphy, or some kind of personal code? The paint is thin, almost like a stain, letting the paper breathe. Look at that one looping gesture near the top, it's so confident and free, like he's letting his hand wander across the surface. It reminds me of my own process sometimes, how a painting can start with just a simple mark and then evolve into something complex and unexpected. These lines are both precise and intuitive, rational and emotional. And it’s cool how Marden keeps the conversation going, you know, with other artists, with himself, pushing the boundaries of what painting can be.