Chix 2003

"Chix" is a painting by Susan Rothenberg that looks like it’s been hewn directly out of the earth. The painting is all about the primal act of creation: the artist layering strokes of earthy browns and greys to conjure the weighty form of a horse. I feel a real kinship with Rothenberg’s work, especially her commitment to process. You can sense the artist circling around this animal, searching for its essence with each brushstroke, each layer of thick paint. She is almost wrestling with the medium. Look how a limb of pink flesh appears in the foreground, perhaps held by the animal, or emerging out of the ground itself. The physical act of painting, the way she applies color, becomes a way of thinking and feeling. It reminds me that we painters are all in conversation across time, picking up where others have left off, finding our own way to express something deeply felt. We embrace uncertainty, always open to multiple interpretations.