Man with Large Hat on Mighty 2015

Tal R made this “Man with Large Hat on Mighty” out of crayon. The artist takes a simple medium and uses it to construct a complex image full of joy and childlike wonder. I love the way the colors vibrate against one another. It’s as if the figure is lit from within. The marks are direct and unlabored, and the artist doesn't hide the process of making, in fact they celebrate it. Look at the way the planes of color are laid down to create a landscape, with each mark distinct. I think of Joan Miró, another artist who explored the realm of the imagination with similar freedom and playfulness. Both artists remind us that art is a form of visual thinking, an open-ended experiment, and a process of discovery, rather than a quest for definitive answers.