Botequim 1973

Nikias Skapinakis made this painting, Botequim, and it’s got this amazing flat orange background that just zings, doesn’t it? It’s all about the interplay of these bold, simplified shapes and colors, which feels like a dance. Look at how the paint is applied, so smooth and even, almost like printmaking. It’s so different from the impasto I usually work with, but I love how Skapinakis uses it to create these clean divisions between colors. Notice the curious way the legs overlap – there’s something almost cartoonish about the flattened forms. This reminds me a little bit of Alex Katz, in the way he captures a certain mood and attitude with such simple means. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be about complexity; sometimes, the most powerful statements come from stripping things down to their essence. It’s like Skapinakis is saying, “Here’s a feeling, a moment, captured in the most direct way possible.”