Oriental Woman 1973

Alexander Bogen made "Oriental Woman" with oil paint, and from the look of the brushstrokes, he must have been fully immersed. See how the red of the figure seems to push against the deep blue background? I can imagine Bogen stepping back from the easel, considering the tension between those hues, maybe even feeling it in his own body. Those thick strokes of blue, applied with such energy, make me think of painters like Soutine, who also wrestled with the physicality of paint. I love how the woman's shawl kind of dissolves into the space around her. The edges aren't defined; it’s like Bogen wanted to capture a fleeting moment, a sense of atmosphere, more than a literal representation. Maybe he was inspired by the expressionistic brushwork of the German painters, always looking for ways to convey emotion through color and gesture. That little dab of red on her cheek? Such a simple move, but it brings her face to life. We painters, we are all in conversation.