Beside the Sea No. 22 1962

Robert Motherwell made this painting, Beside the Sea No. 22, with oil on canvas. The way he works with blue and black here feels so immediate, like he’s letting the paint do its thing, a real dance between control and chance. Looking closely, you can see how the paint is both thin and drippy, and thick and pooling. It’s like he’s captured a moment, a fleeting feeling, with these simple materials. That big blue slash that divides the canvas, feels to me like a wave crashing or maybe just a line in the sand. Then you've got that almost calligraphic splatter above, like an explosion of thought. The way the paint splatters and drips, it’s like he’s revealing the process, letting us in on the act of painting itself. I’m reminded of Joan Miró and his playful approach to abstraction, how he also found freedom in simplicity. Motherwell seems to be tapping into something primal, something deeply human. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the gesture, the feeling, the energy of the moment.