Matrix - Family Album Series n.7 2005

Bracha Ettinger made this painting, part of her ‘Family Album Series,’ with what looks like oil paint, maybe mixed with something else to give it that hazy feel. It’s all about process, isn’t it? The painting is composed of layers and layers of thin, horizontal strokes. The brushwork is so delicate, creating these translucent veils of colour that overlap and bleed into each other. Look at the way Ettinger uses purple, lavender and hints of pink. It's almost monochromatic but with subtle shifts that create depth. The texture is smooth, with no impasto, but the layering gives it a soft, almost ethereal quality. In the middle, there are these ghost-like figures emerging from the haze, like memories half-remembered. Ettinger reminds me a little bit of Agnes Martin, in the way she uses subtle variations in colour and line to create a sense of quiet contemplation. But Ettinger adds this layer of personal history and trauma, making the work feel both intimate and universal. It’s like she’s inviting us to explore the fragmented nature of memory and identity, embracing ambiguity.