Week #41, Hello Yellow II

Untitled (Black Squares with Yellow and Brown), 1985, watercolor on paper, 5 ½” x 8 ½”..

Herewith another one of the small works by Dusti Bongé that features golden-yellow tones. This work from 1985 is one of a large series of small works on paper Dusti created that are all the same size, 5 ½” x 8 ½”. This series in turn contains a range of works in felt tip pen and a range of works in watercolor. At times these works have probably served, whether intentionally or not, as initial thoughts for a larger work to come later. Dusti created several large and stunning canvases during this time.

Interestingly, this work too features the yellow juxtaposed to a deep ochre, which turns a very warm brown, and a hint of blue. This highlights Dusti’s inherent understanding of color theory as well as her natural inclination to bring colors together in a way that they complement each other.

This work, while completely abstract, is incredibly structured. The horizontal swaths of golden yellow with patch of blue above, and ochre with edge of blue below, meet to form a horizon line just below the center of the page. The way the ochre gives way to a darker brown creates a sense of perspective trailing off toward the horizon line on the right, animating the fields of color.

The two open rectangles outlined in bold black lines almost serve as windows, with the larger one highlighting a unique blue scribble bursting on the horizon line. Yet in relation to the black vertical mark on their right, the three together seem more like an armature for a passage that itself also recedes toward the horizon on the right.