Blue Painting 1953

Ad Reinhardt made this 'Blue Painting' with oil on canvas. What I love about a painting like this, is that it’s a reminder that artists are always in conversation with each other. You can sense Reinhardt grappling with the legacy of modernism, pushing its boundaries, and maybe even trying to distill painting down to its bare essence. It's almost like he's asking, "What is the minimum I can do and still call it painting?" I can imagine him in the studio, surrounded by blues, trying to make them resonate. The subtle variations in tone create a depth that invites you in, like peering into an endless, still ocean. This piece feels related to the works of Agnes Martin or Barnett Newman. They were all thinking about how the slightest shift in colour or form could create profound visual and emotional experiences. And ultimately, it’s in these exchanges that art evolves. It allows for multiple interpretations and meaning over fixed or definitive readings.