Chix 2003

"Chix" is a painting by Susan Rothenberg, and it's like she's wrestling with the idea of form itself. The way she attacks the canvas, it's all about the process, the push and pull of figuring things out as she goes. Look at how she's laid down the paint, thick and juicy in some spots, scraped back in others. You can almost feel the physicality of her movements, the energy of her mark-making. The colour palette is muted, almost monochromatic, but within that limited range, she coaxes out a whole world of subtle variations. The way she renders the horse, it's not about perfect representation, but about capturing the essence of the animal, its weight, its power, its presence. The strange pink shape in the foreground – is it another animal, or something else entirely? It throws everything into question, forcing you to look closer, to engage with the painting on its own terms. Rothenberg always reminds me a little of Elizabeth Murray. Both artists are able to use the language of painting to ask profound questions about what it means to see and be seen. And that's what art is all about, isn't it? Embracing the unknown, reveling in the ambiguity, and finding meaning in the process itself.