Six Strawberries and a Smile 2020

Milt Kobayashi made this painting, Six Strawberries and a Smile, with expressive marks and a juicy, limited palette. Everything in this piece feels so alive! You can sense the artist really relishing the act of painting. The way the thick paint is applied, almost sculpted, creates such a tactile surface. Look at the confident strokes defining the figure’s features, and the way the red circles are boldly plopped onto the canvas. I love how the black shapes punctuate the composition. And notice the way Kobayashi doesn’t fuss over details, but instead focuses on the overall impression of light and color. The hands are just suggested, but they feel so right. Kobayashi’s work reminds me a bit of Fairfield Porter, in its loose, gestural handling of paint and its focus on everyday scenes. Like Porter, Kobayashi finds beauty in the mundane and invites us to see the world with fresh eyes. It’s a reminder that art is not about perfection, but about capturing a feeling, a moment, a fleeting glimpse of beauty.