Bather 1988

Vasiliy Ryabchenko’s “Bather” is a symphony of reds, pinks, and fleshy tones, painted with what looks like a real urgency of feeling. I imagine Ryabchenko attacking the canvas, figuring it out as he goes, responding to the emerging forms. There’s a gestural quality here that reminds me of de Kooning, but also something ancient, primal. I'm thinking about how loaded the act of painting can be. Each brushstroke carries a weight, a decision, a little bit of the artist’s soul. See how the paint is applied thinly in some areas, allowing the canvas to breathe. It makes me think about the physicality of the medium, the way the paint sits on the surface, and the push and pull between intention and accident. It’s like a dance between the artist and the canvas. Ryabchenko is in conversation with the whole history of painting, and it’s like he’s inviting us to join in too. It feels good, doesn't it?