Week #20, Thinking in Color: Blue III

Dusti Bongé, Untitled (Blue Stripes with Orange), 1988, watercolor on paper, 5 ½” x 5”.

Our third blue work by Dusti Bongé is a study in minimalism. However, the restraint in her painterly approach here does not result in a work that is simplistic despite its clarity. Note that this work too, exudes coastal vibes, with its translucent blue layers of varying density. 

Rendered on a small joss paper with silver leaf, the work basically comprises a series of horizontal blue lines with a nebulous orange shape. But upon looking at it more carefully, it becomes clear that Dusti makes various very subtle moves.

First, she manipulates the appearance of the silver square at the center, making it much darker in presence, as if covered it with a black wash. Second, this now blackish square is accented by a large white spot. Third, the seemingly steady and uninterrupted blue strokes are in fact broken up: they stop at the edge of the square, are picked up again in the internal white dot, and then continue on the other side. The square as such looks as if floating on top of its blue surroundings. It also creates the illusion that the square, which started out as a gleaming piece of silver foil, is now more of a dark framed opening allowing one to peak through, only to discover more blue. 

Overall, the blue horizontal layers create a somewhat uneven gradient from almost opaque midnight blues to crystal clear ceruleans. The shift in tone is most distinct right at the base of the square. This is yet another way in which it gets emphasized and brought to the fore. Beyond the dominating presence of the square, the blue marks are only interrupted by a light "plume" of orange in the upper right, which may or may not be emanating from the square.