Ripplin Rythm 1948

Rolf Armstrong’s “Ripplin Rythm” is a pastel dream. It feels like it happened quickly, spontaneously, with pure color being applied, rubbed, blended and smeared, like a jazz riff. I like to imagine Armstrong working on this, maybe in a cloud of pastel dust, thinking about movement and maybe longing for a place where rhythm, not just rhyme, is the reason. It's not trying to be life-like, but rather a sensual memory of movement and sound. There’s a loose quality to the whole thing, and the surface is powdery soft. Notice how he uses color to create the illusion of form and motion. The dress blooms with vibrant colors from a bulbous purple to a zesty yellow. It's like he has captured a fleeting moment, a ripple of energy in time. I can just imagine the feeling of the pastel in his hand as he pulls the image together, like a dancer leading a partner.