Brooklyn Bridge 1991

This painting of the Brooklyn Bridge by Richard Estes captures a moment, a perspective, almost like a photograph, but with the slow, considered touch of oil paint. The surface is smooth, controlled; a world away from the thick impasto I love to throw around in my own work! It’s so different from my usual approach, where the messiness is part of the message. But here, the stillness, the almost unreal clarity, is what grabs you. Look at the way the light hits the metal beams, the subtle variations in the sky. Estes doesn't hide his brushstrokes, but neither does he flaunt them. Painters like Gerhard Richter also play with photorealism, but there's something about Estes's choice of subject, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, that adds a layer of meaning. It's not just a bridge; it's a symbol, a connection between places, and maybe even between different ways of seeing.