Pale Goddess 1978

Ronnie Landfield, a New York painter, made this painting, Pale Goddess, with oils on canvas, though I couldn’t tell you exactly when. Looking at this, I see the color coming in waves, in veils, like watercolor almost. Thin washes of pinks and oranges – it’s the opposite of muscular. It feels feminine, but in the old-fashioned way, almost like cosmetics or old lingerie. I like how Landfield lets the paint drip in certain areas. It adds a certain randomness. It is like, there’s the idea of the painting, and then there’s the accident, that’s what I’m always looking for in my own work. What happens when you let go a little bit? I see echoes of someone like Helen Frankenthaler, letting the material speak, but also someone like Morris Louis, playing with those stained effects. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation with what came before, with no final word.