GRAZING AT THE ENGLISH COUNTRYSIDE 1977

Rashid Al Khalifa made this painting, called Grazing at the English Countryside, with what looks like pretty loose brushwork, and a muted, earthy palette. It's that kind of painting that feels more like an event than a picture of something, y'know? Looking at the surface, you can really see how the texture does a lot of the work. Thick strokes of paint build up the forms of the trees and the sheep, while the ground is a wash of thinner colour, dragged and layered. There's this one sheep, over on the right, standing alone. The paint there is chunky, almost sculptural, like a little dollop of wool. I'm reminded of Constable, but without all the fuss. Both artists seem interested in what the weather is doing, but while Constable gets caught up in the details, Khalifa’s painting captures something more fleeting and elemental. It’s a painting that’s not trying to tell you what to think, but asking you to feel something.