The Wide Arena of Air 2016

Joshua Flint’s painting, ‘The Wide Arena of Air,’ feels like a memory or a dream, hazy and half-formed. It’s made with thin layers of oil paint, almost like watercolor, allowing the white of the canvas to peek through. I like how the figures are integrated into the landscape, almost dissolving into it. Look at how the woman wading into the water, her legs becoming part of the watery scene. The paint drips and runs, mirroring the flow of the water. Then there’s the boy, his form merging with the rocks and trees. This way of working, where the image is built up through layers and the process is visible, reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s blurred paintings, where the subject is both present and absent, creating a sense of longing and uncertainty. It's a reminder that art is always in conversation with itself, borrowing and transforming ideas across time. It suggests that meaning is never fixed but always open to interpretation.