Constructivist Green

48" x 24"
Oil on handmade wood panel
Handmade Morrow Archival pigment and medium

This vibrant and energetic painting is the first in my series exploring Constructivism, a critical analysis of what constitutes color.

Traditional color theories are divided into two prevailing philosophies: John Locke’s subjectivism and scientific objectivism. Locke argued that color is a secondary quality—entirely dependent on the viewer’s perception, making it unique for every observer. In contrast, objectivists define color by the specific wavelengths of light an object reflects.

Constructivism challenges both views, asserting that color is not just a property of an object, nor merely a perception, but rather a result of how an object came to be. It reclaims the intuitive, childlike understanding of color—where red, yellow, and blue serve as primaries, and orange, green, and purple emerge as secondaries.

In Constructivist Green, I explore this philosophy through a single brush and a straight-line brushstroke technique. Form is deliberately secondary—color itself becomes the meaning of the piece. Look closely, and you’ll find an intricate interplay of hues that may not immediately register as green: flashes of blue, brown, yellow, white, and countless subtleties emerge, reshaping the very concept of what "orange" is.

Beyond its exploration of color theory, Constructivist Green is also inspired by the work of Alan Turing, particularly his contributions not only to computer science but to biology. Turing’s seminal work describes biological life through the lens of computation and engineering, framing living organisms as biological algorithms.

This piece delves into the tension between biology and technology, nature and nurture, the organic and the inorganic—a meditation on the complex duality we experience as physical beings in an increasingly digital world. It is both elemental and biological, a vivid exploration of color, perception, and the intersection of natural and artificial systems.