Spring Bridge 1986

Robert Qualters made this painting, *Spring Bridge*, and it's like the whole city of Pittsburgh is bursting forth in juicy daubs of colour. The thick paint, it's not just representing something, it *is* something, like the landscape itself. The way he layers those greens and browns, you can almost smell the damp earth of the hillside. And those figures, all a flurry of movement across the bridge, feel like they're part of the same vibrant energy. Look at the bottom left corner, the cyclist, a blur of blue and red, so full of life, he could fall right out of the frame. It's all so spontaneous and free. Qualters reminds me a bit of Red Grooms, that same love of place and people, that same embrace of the messy, joyful reality of everyday life. It's a celebration, not just of spring, but of painting itself.