Wheels of Fortune 1995

Here is a painting called “Wheels of Fortune” by the French-American artist Arman. It's a wild ride of brushstrokes and paintbrushes, frozen in a vibrant, chaotic dance. Imagine Arman in his studio, surrounded by tubes of paint and a sea of brushes. The air is thick with the smell of turpentine. You can almost feel the energy as he attacks the canvas. The painting seems to have come together through layering, building up a surface where the brushes create arcs of yellows, greens, blues, and oranges, a feeling of constant motion and energy. Those brushes - they're not just tools, they're characters in this drama, each one leaving its mark on the canvas. I wonder, was Arman thinking about Duchamp and his bicycle wheel when he made this? It makes you think about the history of art and how artists keep riffing off each other, pushing ideas in new directions. It’s like they are all on a big bike ride through time.