Rest 2013

Jose Higuera painted 'Rest', in what I imagine was a burst of energy, given the speed of the marks. The painting is all about immediacy; how the physicality of oil paint can capture a fleeting moment. Look at the confident strokes that define the child’s shirt – thick, loaded brushes dragged across the surface, capturing light and shadow with surprising economy. The background is a flurry of red and blue, roughly hewn, which somehow doesn't detract from the stillness of the child. Check out the contrast of the buttery strokes of the blanket and the child’s stillness as he holds the orange. The textures, the color relationships, it’s all so juicy and present. It reminds me a little of early Manet, in that it finds a new language to capture the beauty of everyday life. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exploration of seeing and feeling.