Rembrandt 2008

This painting, "Rembrandt", was made by Alexander Roitburd, and you can tell right away that the application of paint is everything. It's thick and deliberate. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the surface, pushing and pulling the pigments to create this striking image. What grabs me most is the texture. Look at the face, how the short, choppy brushstrokes build up a topography of flesh and bone. The color is warm, earthy, with a limited palette of reds, browns, and creams that evoke a sense of history and tradition. But it's not just about representation; it's about the physicality of paint itself. The medium becomes the message, highlighting that the magic is in the process of making. It reminds me of Chaim Soutine, actually, in its raw intensity and commitment to the materiality of paint. Like Soutine, Roitburd isn't afraid to let the brushstrokes be visible. Art is an ongoing conversation, a dialogue across time and styles, always open to interpretation and new possibilities.