Sparta, Champion magazine cover 1960

Victor Prezio made this cover for Champion magazine with oils, and what strikes me is how he makes a virtue of speed. Look at the textures, the way he lets the paint do its thing. It’s not about precision, it’s about getting the feeling across, capturing a moment of high drama. I like the way he uses these thick and thin moments. Take the woman in the green dress, the shadow that defines her thigh is so thin, it is almost transparent in its application, yet it still gives such a distinct impression of form. There’s a tension between representation and abstraction, between the scene and the feeling, the story and the gesture. It has this loose, immediate quality, like a Joan Mitchell or a de Kooning. This piece is an example of how narrative painting can embrace ambiguity.