Hibou-Circus III

Standing before this densely packed canvas, you can almost feel the weight of the paint itself. Jean-Paul Riopelle was a Canadian artist from Quebec who became one of the leading figures of abstract art in the mid-twentieth century. He was famous for piling paint onto his canvases with a palette knife, building up thick layers that catch the light and create a surface that looks almost like cracked stone or shattered glass. In this 1973 work, slivers of green, red, and white poke through a sea of dark grays and blacks, giving the whole thing a restless, energetic feel.

The title "Hibou" means owl in French, and Riopelle returned to the idea of owls and other animals again and again throughout his career. He spent a lot of time in nature, and you can sense that connection here, even though the shapes never settle into anything you can clearly name. Rather than painting a picture of something, he wanted the texture and color to do the talking. Look closely and you may catch hints of a creature peering out from the tangle, or you may simply enjoy the raw, physical energy of the surface. Either way, it rewards a slow and patient look.