Painted in 1969, Untitled exemplifies a pivotal moment in Al Loving’s career, when he was pushing

the boundaries of abstraction and redefining the physical possibilities of painting. During this

period, Loving was using a process-driven approach that emphasized color, material, and structure

over fixed composition.



At first glance, the painting appears rigorously abstract, yet its surface reveals a complex interplay

of color and form. Broad areas of saturated hue are balanced by softer transitions, creating a sense of movement across the shaped canvas. Loving’s handling of oil paint is both deliberate and intuitive:

layers are built up, reworked, and allowed to interact, producing subtle variations in texture and

depth. Rather than guiding the viewer toward a single focal point, the composition encourages

sustained looking, as relationships between colors shift with prolonged attention.



Loving’s work engages the legacy of Color Field painting and Post-Painterly Abstraction while

resisting their more impersonal tendencies. Color, for Loving, is not purely optical but experiential,

carrying emotional and spatial weight. The hexagonal format reinforces a sense of equilibrium, even

as internal tensions animate the surface.



Although Untitled avoids explicit reference, it reflects Loving’s broader commitment to

experimentation and freedom within abstraction. By rejecting representational imagery and

conventional hierarchies, he invites viewers to encounter the painting on its own terms—as an

object, a field of color, and a record of artistic decision-making. This work stands as an important

example of Loving’s contribution to postwar American abstraction and his ongoing reimagining of

what painting could be.