Looking Inward 2007

Rochelle Blumenfeld made "Looking Inward" on a square canvas with gestural marks and a palette that hovers between cool blues and warm browns. Imagine her in the studio, layering thin washes of color, wiping away, adding more, maybe even using her fingers. It feels like she's searching for something, letting the painting emerge through trial and error, a little like Philip Guston did. The paint isn't too thick, but you can see the traces of each movement. There’s this one stroke, a kind of pale cascade of white, that feels like a release, like a moment of clarity breaking through the murk. I wonder if she stepped back, looked at it, and thought, “Yes, that’s it.” Like other painters I know, she's probably inspired by other artists who embrace ambiguity, and who aren't afraid to leave things open to interpretation. We're all in conversation with one another, riffing on the same ideas across time. It is a generous invitation to slow down and to be ok with not knowing.