Patch Up #2

Yuan Chen’s Patch Up #2 comes and goes as it wishes. The patches of soft blues, yellows, purples, and pinks covering the canvas ground the work but remain static and unpredictable. They bleed into each other, overlap, separate, and bring together. Without the stability of their presence, the painting would become lost and murky, but without their frenetic appearance, the picture would be dull and lifeless. This marriage of movement and permeance underlies the work's allure and gets to the heart of what separates successful abstract painting from its convoluted counterparts. The tadpole-like lines traversing their way across the composition find a home in the aquatic-flecked backdrop and enhance the painting’s sense of movement. Considered as a whole, the many elements that define Patch Up #2 are harmonious expressions of painterly prowess.