Great Strides 2018

Carrie Graber made this painting, Great Strides, with a clean, focused style. Look at the flat planes of color and sharp edges. Graber isn’t trying to hide the artifice of artmaking here. The painting has a sort of hyper-real feel. Note how the color almost hums, there’s a synthetic quality to the palette. It feels very material, and yet there’s a strong feeling of light that casts the shadows. The shadows are very clean, very sharp, very clear. Now check out how the edges of the bushes are just a little jagged, kind of raw against all that sharp focus. It’s a little touch that brings the whole piece alive, giving it that human touch. I’m thinking of Alex Katz when I see this piece, but with a West Coast clarity. It’s like a still from a movie. What do you think the woman and her little dog are thinking?