Catchers (left part of the diptych) 1992

Vasiliy Ryabchenko made "Catchers", the left part of a diptych, using paint to build a world of dreams and enigmas. The whole painting feels like a process of layering, of building up a story piece by piece, with loose brushstrokes and a palette that's both vibrant and muted. I’m really drawn to the way Ryabchenko handles the paint here - it is almost translucent. Look at the figure floating on a cloud: the pink of the flesh and the white of the cloud bleed into each other, giving her an ethereal quality. Then there's the man, solid and grounded, yet painted with the same fluid touch, as if he, too, might dissolve into the dream. The bold strokes of red at the bottom pop, pulling you in. Ryabchenko reminds me a bit of Philip Guston, with his strange figures and bold colors. But Ryabchenko has his own strange and beautiful way of speaking, and this piece hums with his own particular song.