Light in Dark 1986

Richards Ruben made this painting, 'Light in Dark,' with oil on canvas. It's an apt title for an artist working through the night, trying to find the light within the dark! I imagine Ruben in his studio, the air thick with the smell of turpentine. The canvas is a site of inquiry, with bold strokes of black paint dominating the composition. But see the flashes of yellow, red, and blue peeking through? It’s like a hidden world trying to emerge. The paint is applied with visible brushstrokes, thick in some areas, thin in others, creating a palpable texture. Each gesture communicates feeling, intention, maybe even a bit of frustration. You can sense Ruben grappling with the canvas, pushing and pulling, searching for a balance. As painters we are always looking to those that came before, and I wonder if he felt the influence of artists like Franz Kline or Robert Motherwell who also explored the interplay between light and dark, form and formlessness. Painting is a conversation across time. Artists build upon each other's discoveries, inspiring new forms of expression, new ways of seeing.