Self Portrait 2007

Alexander Roitburd made this self-portrait using oils, layering brushstrokes of pink, red, and brown to shape the figure against a dark backdrop of green and black. You can almost feel the artist wrestling with the canvas. Building form and volume, stroke by stroke. I wonder what was going through Roitburd's head as he painted himself with such raw honesty. His gaze is turned downward, maybe lost in thought, his hands are open. The paint is applied thickly, creating a textured surface that emphasizes the physicality of the medium. Each stroke feels deliberate. Roitburd is part of a long conversation that stretches across time, a conversation full of painters influencing and inspiring each other. As viewers, we bring our own experiences and perspectives to the artwork. Painting becomes this embodied expression which embraces all kinds of readings.