Big Sky 2019

Mark Maggiori’s painting presents us with cowboys on horseback under a dramatic sky, and it's all about process – the layering of colors, the way the brushstrokes build up the forms. What strikes me is the texture. The paint isn't just laid on smoothly; you can see the artist's hand in the application, especially in the clouds, where the colors blend and swirl together. Look closely at the brushwork in the foreground. See how the details of the vegetation are built up with short, staccato marks, creating a tactile sense of depth. The horses, too, are rendered with a confident, almost sculptural approach. The light seems to come from within the paint itself, a trick mastered by the old masters. There's a cinematic quality to Maggiori's work. It reminds me of classic Western films, but with a contemporary twist. It's as if Frederic Remington met David Hockney, embracing both tradition and experimentation. Art, after all, is an ongoing conversation, where artists borrow, steal, and transform ideas across time.