“Néoco”, an enchanting piece by the eminent French abstract painter Bernard Frize, combines an exploration of color, form, and process that captivates the viewer with its engaging simplicity. Working within the traditions of Color Field painters and Minimalists yet embarking on a path distinctly his own, Frize transforms acrylic and resin on a large canvas into a tableau of fine, overlapping vertical lines in a spectrum of hues.

The work, measuring 162 x 130 cm and encased in a wooden frame, is a testament to Frize’s deliberate and methodical process, which relies on a carefully curated palette, large brushes, and the assistance of two other artists. “Néoco” stands as a beautiful embodiment of his paradoxically minimalist yet intricate approach, where process and conceptual aim merge into a visual symphony of color and form.

Each brushstroke in “Néoco” is a testament to the artist’s philosophical ponderings on the process of creation. Frize once shared, “I need reasons to make a painting—the reason has to drive me happily to the painting. Yet I am always unsatisfied—that’s why I am doing the next one.” In “Néoco”, one can perceive this relentless pursuit for satisfaction, for an expression that is ever-evolving and persistently introspective.

The vertical lines in varying colors invite the viewer to both lose and find themselves within the composition. A feeling of rhythm and order arises from the way these lines intersect and interact, weaving a fabric of visual poetry that is at once harmonious and provocative. Viewed from afar, the lines coalesce into a harmonious entity; up close, each line asserts its individuality, yet remains a crucial part of the whole.

“Néoco” is an artwork that exudes a sense of controlled spontaneity, where predictability and unpredictability find a nuanced balance. Every viewer’s engagement with “Néoco” is a journey, a dialogue between the observer and the painting that is uniquely personal. As eloquently put by Jessica Stockholder, “We the audience and Frize the author share the painting as a point in our relative trajectories – the author’s end point and our beginning point.”