Fountain Constructing 2019

Vasiliy Ryabchenko’s painting, Fountain Constructing, is a softly rendered figurative scene in cool whites, blues and pale pinks. I can imagine the artist building this image, gently coaxing it into being. The titular fountain is formed of bodies, stacked one on top of the other, supporting a shallow bowl at the top. Two cone-shaped plinths frame the composition, adding to the symmetry. Looking at Ryabchenko’s delicate brushstrokes, I imagine him working in a dream-like state, allowing forms to emerge intuitively. The paint isn’t overworked, and the figures retain a ghostly presence. Like other painters, Ryabchenko seems to be reaching back through time, conversing with classical sculpture and architecture. He translates these forms into his own visual language. For me, painting is a way of embracing ambiguity. What do you see?