Big Sky 2019

Mark Maggiori made this painting of cowboys under a huge sky sometime after 1977. It's called "Big Sky" and that title is no joke. I can almost feel him working on this, layering those warm oranges and reds to give depth to that sky, thinking, how do I make this feel infinite? Maggiori’s brushstrokes build forms, not just figures and landscapes, but also a feeling. It makes me think about all the painting traditions and visual culture this artist is in dialogue with—historical painting, the Western genre, film. The paint looks smooth, and there's a real attention to light, which gives the scene its drama. Look at the way he captures the light on the horses. I love how Maggiori uses color to create a mood. The sky is not just a backdrop, it’s a character in the scene, almost like a Rothko painting looming there, full of emotion and a sense of the sublime.