A Woman's Shadow 1983

Balcomb Greene's *A Woman's Shadow* is an exercise in soft focus using diluted colours. It's about the way we look at things, isn't it? The figures are built up from layers of thin paint and the palette is muted and restrained. The paint handling is so delicate, so unassuming. The artist doesn't seem interested in making any grand gestures or statements, it feels as though he's just allowing the paint to do its thing, to drip and pool. The shadow in this painting, this spectral figure, makes me think of Francis Picabia, who was interested in layering images and blurring forms. Greene does something similar here, conjuring a sense of mystery and unease by refusing to fully resolve the figures. It is very human, very touching. Painting, at its best, isn't about answers; it's about embracing ambiguity.