Leaf as a protection 1934

David Burliuk painted "Leaf as a protection" with oil on canvas and I'm immediately drawn to the layering, the visible brushstrokes. It’s so clear that artmaking is a process here, an act of building up and breaking down. The texture, it's almost sculptural, not quite thick enough to be impasto, but still, you can feel the physicality of the paint, especially in the top right, those dogs chasing each other across the sky. I love the contrast between the muted colors of the broken column and the more vibrant blues and purples. Look at the seated figure’s hand reaching for the leaf, the almost desperate gesture and how the artist has used the leaf as a barrier between the figure and the rest of the painting. I think of other artists who embraced this kind of raw, expressive style like Jean-Michel Basquiat. Burliuk is showing us that art doesn't always have to be polished. Sometimes, it's more powerful when it's a little rough around the edges, you know?