Corpses are my Business 1961

Victor Prezio made this painting, *Corpses are my Business,* using what looks like oil on board, or possibly illustration board, and this makes for a slick surface that really lets the colors sing. And what colors! The reds and oranges that lick at the figure in the center just about leap off the surface, demanding our attention. Up close, you can see how Prezio really worked the paint to get that feeling of raw energy. Look at how the flames aren't just shapes but have a real, almost tactile quality. It's like he's not just showing us fire, but letting us feel the heat and chaos of it all. And then, the earth tones in the background, all browns and ochres, give the scene a solid, grounded feel that contrasts with the inferno in the middle. Prezio reminds me a bit of Leon Golub, who also wasn't shy about tackling tough subjects head-on with a fearless approach to painting. Like Golub, Prezio doesn't give us easy answers. Instead, he invites us to sit with the messiness and ambiguity of the human experience.