Untitled 1976

Susan Rothenberg made this painting of a horse with what looks like acrylic on canvas, sometime in the 70’s. There’s something about the way she puts paint down, almost scrubbing it into the surface, that speaks to me. It’s like she's wrestling with the image, trying to pin it down. Look at the horse's belly, that dark pool of paint, and how it contrasts with the scumbled white of the tail. The texture is so physical, almost like you could reach out and feel the bristles of the brush. It’s not about illusionism, it’s about the materiality of paint and the act of making. You get the sense that she’s not trying to create a perfect representation, but rather to capture the essence of the animal. I’m reminded of Elizabeth Murray, another artist who wasn't afraid to get messy and physical with paint. Rothenberg’s horse feels like a conversation, a dialogue between artists across time. It’s this ambiguity that makes art so exciting, right?