Intimacy and the Color Red

This reflection is inspired by the work [Rendezvous with White Wall →]

An image that was neither sought
nor planned.
Neither the image,
nor the color.

At first there was only a white surface —
not empty, but vast.
A wall that tells nothing and asks nothing.
I thought I had to oppose it with something.
A sign. A meaning. A thought.
But it wanted nothing from me.
Only that I be there.

What came then was a trace.
I almost missed it.

Red — A Western Misunderstanding?

For a long time, red was associated for me with something loud.
With prohibition. With desire. With warning.
This is often how it is seen in the West —
as a color to be restrained or avoided.

In Goethe’s theory of colors, red stands between activity and seriousness.
In advertising, it represents stimulation.
In school notebooks, it marks mistakes.

Red in Japanese Culture

In Japan, red is something sacred.
Sun, life, protection.
A red gate before the temple.
A circle on a white background.
Fire, blood, joy.

An Attempt to Feel Red

I once tried
to feel red —
not to think.
I had large-format paper
and a liter of acrylic paint.
Applied by hand,
without brush, without plan.

Red is not loud.
It is warm.
Flowing.
Alive.

Applied by hand.
Red, felt — not thought.