Tache Verte 1989

Eugene Leroy built *Tache Verte* with oil paint. I imagine him, with a loaded brush in hand, stepping up to the canvas and diving in. The painting is a thick, textured terrain of colors, mostly muted browns, greens, and reds. It's almost like looking at the earth itself, or maybe peering into some kind of primordial soup. The 'tache verte', or green spot, feels like a burst of life amidst the earthiness. Leroy’s impasto surface gives the sense of building up, layering, and excavating. I can imagine him scraping back into the paint, pulling out forms and light from the depths of the canvas. Maybe he was thinking of Rembrandt, or Chaim Soutine, two painters who knew how to wrestle with paint. Painting is a conversation, a back-and-forth across time. One artist picks up where another leaves off, adding their own voice to the mix. And ultimately, it’s about embracing the messy, ambiguous, and uncertain, allowing for endless interpretations.