Untitled 1970

Albert Bitran made this ‘Untitled’ painting with oil paint and charcoal, layering forms to make something that feels both solid and fleeting. The first thing you notice is that gold background, against the powdery blues and blacks. It's intriguing, the way Bitran leaves traces of charcoal under the paint, like ghosts of earlier ideas. There is a real contrast between the dark, almost violent interior and the pale and placid exterior planes. This is a painting that has been worked and re-worked - a record of process. I find my eye keeps getting drawn back to the top corner, where the light blue plane meets the dark blue one. It’s almost as if Bitran is referencing Synthetic Cubism, Picasso’s way of breaking down the picture plane. But he's not just copying; he's adding his own twist, making something new. It reminds me that art is all about conversation. What do you think?