Merrygandering 1968

James Brooks made Merrygandering using black, white, blue, gray, and yellow paint to create a world of intuitive gestures. I can imagine Brooks in his studio, moving around the canvas with a loaded brush, adding and subtracting, letting the painting find its own way. It reminds me of Joan Mitchell and other abstract expressionists who weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. Look how the black paint clumps together in some areas, almost like tar, while elsewhere, the white is thin and washy. I love the little flicks of yellow, like tiny afterthoughts. They remind me of someone adding just a touch of spice to a dish. What was Brooks thinking when he made those lines? Were they there to balance something out, or just a playful addition? It's like he’s inviting us to join him in this merry wander. These paintings feel like a constant conversation between artists across time and space.