Wild Coast 1983

Victor Puzyrkov gave us this painting, Wild Coast, and I can almost feel the salt spray on my skin just looking at it. There’s this energetic back-and-forth between the blues of the water and the umber rocks, made solid with generous daubs of paint. I’m imagining Puzyrkov, out there, battling the elements, trying to capture the fleeting moment when the wave crashes. That must have been invigorating! The paint is thick, especially on those rocks, giving them a real sense of weight and permanence against the ephemeral, churning sea. Look at how the white foam is rendered – short, choppy strokes that mimic the water's movement. It’s like he’s not just painting what he sees but also the feeling of the sea. He’s playing with the same ideas as painters like Courbet did, and it's this exchange across generations that keeps painting alive, right?