Landscape with a Tree 1967

Vilen Barsky made this painting, Landscape with a Tree, most likely with oil paint, and what strikes me is the way that process is totally on display. It's a real dance between intention, and accident, you know? Up close, you can almost feel the give and take of the brushstrokes, like he’s building up the scene bit by bit. Look at how the greens and browns in the foreground kind of melt into these fleshy pinks and whites. It's juicy. I love that! The brushwork is not trying to trick you into thinking this is a photograph, it's pure, unadulterated paint. It reminds me a bit of Milton Avery. Both artists have this knack for simplifying forms but packing in so much emotion and atmosphere. Ultimately, art isn't about answers, it's about inviting questions.