Arcades 1997

Albert Bitran made this painting, Arcades, with a really interesting approach, balancing raw mark-making and a surprisingly controlled palette. It’s like watching someone think through color and form right in front of you. Looking at the surface, you can see how Bitran builds up layers of thin, transparent washes of color. These areas contrast with dense clusters of charcoal lines. There’s a juicy, almost drippy quality to the red at the top, which is offset by the sharp, architectural lines that cut across the composition. Notice how a single, bright green line anchors the whole piece. It's a risky move, but it really works! Bitran reminds me a little of Cy Twombly, in the sense that he blends a painterly touch with a kind of scribbled, almost illegible, notation. Ultimately, it's a painting that embraces ambiguity, and that’s what makes it so compelling.