Charlie Parker 1968

Beauford Delaney made this painting, "Charlie Parker" sometime in the 1960s. The way Delaney attacks the canvas reminds me of a jazz solo. He's laying down these thick, juicy strokes of paint, almost like he's improvising with color and texture. Check out the face of Parker, how Delaney builds it up with blues, greens, and browns, it's like he's sculpting the form right there on the canvas. The paint is so present. And then there's that bright yellow, popping off the canvas, creating this vibrant energy that just vibrates, almost like a sonic boom. You can practically hear Parker's saxophone wailing! I think about someone like Bob Thompson, another artist who was deeply inspired by jazz. Like Thompson, Delaney knew how to make color sing. He reminds us that art, like jazz, is all about feeling and experimentation, embracing the unexpected notes and letting the process guide you.