Shamane II 1998

Eric Massholder made "Shamane II" using oil paint, and it’s a trip. The way he breaks down the figure into these geometric facets, it’s like cubism but with a shamanic twist. Look at the surface – it's alive. The paint application is direct, not trying to hide itself. You can see the tracks, the layering, it’s all part of the story. The textures vary, too, from smoother planes to rougher edges where the colors meet. And that palette, those earthy greens and yellows playing against the blues and purples, it's like an electric echo of natural tones. It's not a passive image, you know? It's demanding something from you. The more I look, the more I think about Picasso, but with a totally different mood. Massholder’s really after something else, something primal and maybe a bit out there. I love how painting can just keep expanding, keep searching, without ever landing on one single answer.