Symphony Number II 24" x 24"

See more art from the 2025 New Works Following the orchestral vigor of Symphony Number I, James Nowak’s Symphony Number II extends his exploration of painting as a visual analogue to music. Part of the 2025 New Works Collection, the painting can be read as the “second movement” of a larger composition—a continuation that refines, complicates, and expands the thematic concerns of its predecessor. If Symphony Number I established rhythm and dramatic force, Symphony Number II embraces brightness, layering, and polyphony, drawing the viewer into a dynamic interplay of harmony and counterpoint. The canvas is alive with intersecting strokes of yellow, blue, green, orange, and black, all set against a warm ochre ground. Compared with the clustered density of Symphony Number I, this work disperses its marks with greater openness, allowing space between gestures to act as pauses or rests. The composition oscillates between density and release, with brushstrokes forming interwoven patterns that