Horses Upside Down — Fine Art

Horses Upside Down by Sam Gilliam hangs on the wall inside a fine art frame that follows the room. A light frame on a dark wall keeps the colours separate from the wall behind it. The paint moves in washes and broad bands across the surface, a method common in the colour field painting practice.

The paper is matte, so the paint tones stay soft and the light greys do not shine under a lamp. A dark frame beside wooden furniture reads as part of the room instead of a separate object. You see the broad colour bands first and the thinner marks second.

On a bedroom wall at shoulder height the broad bands sit above the bed. From the doorway the pale field meets the frame, and the upside down horse shapes stay loose and soft.