I am Late at the Racine Festival 2017

Alexander Roitburd made this watercolor painting of a nude figure, maybe in 2017, just judging from the writing in the bottom corner. It has this earthy palette of browns and ochres that surround the central nude. I'm really interested in the way he's bent over and leaning in, with the weight forward on his feet. What's he doing? Is he tugging at the string he holds in his hands, or is he being pulled himself? I bet it's both. I bet that when Roitburd was painting, it was a dance between control and letting go. A give and take that reminds me that painting itself is like being tugged in different directions. I also wonder if the darker backdrop of the painting is a play with light and shadow, similar to the paintings of Caravaggio? The way light is used here makes the figure stand out and gives it a presence that feels both fragile and strong. It's a testament to how artists look across time and space, building on one another’s discoveries and experiments to find their own way.