Red Wave 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made this painting, Red Wave, with what looks like acrylic on canvas or board. The red really dominates – a juicy, angry red that simmers beneath the surface. It’s not a polite red; it’s a let-it-all-hang-out red. I’m drawn to the way Hinnebusch layers the paint. It’s thick in some areas, almost like a relief, and thin and transparent in others. It's particularly interesting up top, where it looks like the white paint dripped, making these stalactite-like formations. That thick white impasto contrasts with the washes of color, creating a sense of depth and texture. You can almost feel the surface of the painting, its peaks and valleys. It reminds me a bit of those cityscapes by Joan Mitchell where abstraction becomes a feeling, where the paint itself embodies the energy of a place. It's this ambiguity, the tension between representation and pure abstraction, that makes the piece so compelling.