A major early abstract painting, Choose Two, 1964, brings together organic and biomorphic forms that evoke a range of associations, from natural phenomena and landscapes to physical objects. Its shapes resist any single interpretation, shifting in perception according to their position and relationship to the other elements within the composition.

Featured in the exhibition Harold Cohen: Paintings 1960–65 at the Whitechapel Gallery in London (1965), Choose Two threads a line between Cohen’s earlier abstract painting and his later interest in computational systems – an interest which would ignite in 1968, three years after completing this work. Despite covering just five years of activity, the work in the Whitechapel show demonstrated a progressive approach to thinking about, and creating, art. With the earliest pieces dating to Cohen’s time in New York on a Commonwealth Fellowship (1959–1961), the exhibition revealed a radical style shift at the turn of the decade. Having previously painted in an Abstract Expressionist style, Cohen stripped his work back to its fundamentals and started again.

Across the canvas, distinct biomorphic forms occupy and define their own spaces, suggesting fragments of landscapes, geological formations and other natural structures. Yet these associations remain fluid rather than fixed. Colour, line and shape interact to create a sense of shifting relationships, allowing forms to suggest different things as the eye moves across the composition. The painting invites multiple readings without resolving into recognisable representations.