Untitled 

John Hoyland’s untitled artwork presents a vibrant arena of color, where bars of blue and red flank a central field of warm red tones, anchored by a stroke of yellow. These vertical and horizontal divisions carry echoes of architectural structure, reminiscent of how, in early Renaissance paintings, the cross was presented as the intersection of divine and earthly realms. The color red itself, often associated with passion, blood, and sacrifice, takes on a deeper emotional weight, evoking a sense of primal energy. Consider how the color fields resonate with cave paintings—crude shapes, with their basic forms and urgent colors meant to speak to our deepest instincts and primal urges. The colors, laid bare, allow us to access the collective subconscious that influences our interpretations and emotional responses. Hoyland’s abstract language, with its deep roots in the history of human expression, provides a mirror reflecting the timeless drama of human emotions and desires. These gestures resurface, evolve, and take on new meanings across history.