Composition 2004

Ivan Marchuk made this painting, Composition, with what looks like oils and maybe some mixed media. There’s a real sense of process here, the paint's applied in these frantic, almost scribbled marks. It's not about hiding the work, but showing you all the decisions made along the way. I love how the red, which dominates, isn’t just red; it’s a whole family of reds, fighting and dancing together on the canvas. Look at that cluster of heavy red marks in the center. It’s like a concentrated burst of energy, a build-up of emotion that Marchuk just had to get out. You can almost feel the pressure of the brush against the canvas, the urgency in his hand. This reminds me a bit of Cy Twombly, who also wasn’t afraid to let his scribbles be the main event, to make the act of painting itself the subject. Art isn't about answers, it's more like a conversation, a question that keeps evolving.