Soulsearching 2019

Jana Brike made this painting, Soulsearching, with oils, crafting a scene that feels both tender and slightly unsettling. I imagine Brike building up the layers, glazing the skin tones to give them that luminous quality. The surface is smooth, almost porcelain-like, which contrasts with the raw emotion in the subjects' eyes. The woman's hands, gently covering the man’s eyes, are adorned with tiny flowers, and his face is covered in stickers—unicorns and rainbows—a strange, almost childlike vulnerability. I wonder if Brike was thinking about innocence and its loss, or the masks we wear versus the feelings we bury. It reminds me of Paula Rego's work, where childhood and adulthood collide. This painting speaks to the ongoing conversation artists have about identity, vulnerability, and the search for meaning. It is a painting that embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple interpretations.