Thor 2016

Albrecht Behmel painted 'Thor' with what looks like acrylic on canvas. I can only imagine him building this superhero with a mosaic of color. It's as if he's piecing together an icon, not with solemn reverence, but with playful curiosity. I wonder if, like me, he sometimes feels like a mad scientist in the studio, mixing up potions of color, trying to conjure something new, something that feels alive. There’s something so satisfying about seeing how each little patch bumps up against its neighbor. The juxtaposition makes the colors sing. Take a look at the hammer, how Behmel gives form to an object by dabbing it with blues, yellows and browns. I feel that he's less interested in portraying a perfect hammer and more interested in how colors collide and converse. It's this lively conversation that makes Behmel's work so engaging, and reminds me that all artists are participating in one big, colorful conversation.