Rei Kawakubo 2020

Milt Kobayashi’s oil painting "Rei Kawakubo" portrays a woman in an expressive, gestural style. The artist uses traditional oil paints and brushes, but the handling is anything but conventional. Kobayashi's painting involves a direct, physical engagement with the materials. The thick impasto and loose brushwork emphasize the material qualities of the paint itself. The visible strokes and layered textures contribute to a sense of movement and energy, almost as if the painting were made in a single burst of creative action. The energetic application of paint speaks to the labor involved, and the dynamic strokes and vibrant colors create a sense of immediacy. Ultimately, Kobayashi’s painting invites us to appreciate the materiality of art and the physical act of its making. It bridges the gap between fine art and craft by emphasizing process and material engagement.