Сarousel 1921

David Burliuk made this painting, Carousel, with oil on canvas using a bright and bold approach. You can really see how he built the image up from loose, gestural marks, full of movement and energy. It's all about the process, that back-and-forth dance between artist and canvas. The surface has this lovely, tactile quality. The paint is applied with such freedom that the forms are ambiguous. Take a look at that yellow horse, how solid it seems and yet when you focus on a particular mark, the edge of the neck, say, it disappears into thin air. Look at the spiral on its side. It is so visually compelling, like staring into a vortex. Burliuk's work reminds me of Marsden Hartley, particularly his use of simplified forms and intense color to convey raw emotion. These artists show us that art doesn't need to be polished or perfect. It's more like a conversation, a messy, beautiful exchange of ideas across time.