Live Money 2008

Alexander Roitburd made this painting called Live Money, sometime before he died in 2021, likely using oil paint. I’m really drawn to the way Roitburd builds up the surface of this painting. Look closely, and you'll notice how the paint is applied in layers, creating a textured surface that catches the light. It’s like he’s sculpting with the paint, giving the figure a real sense of presence. There’s this incredible tension between the figure, rendered in muted, almost ghostly tones, and the vibrant, fleshy strands that seem to emanate from within, like some kind of parasitic growth. The contrast between the cool blues and grays of the figure and the warm, almost lurid tones of the 'live money' is really striking. It makes you think about the relationship between the individual and the forces of capital, or maybe the way that money can both sustain and consume us. Roitburd’s work reminds me a little of Philip Guston, in the way he uses a kind of raw, expressive figuration to explore complex ideas. But Roitburd has his own unique voice, and his paintings are always full of surprises.