Prince 1991

Vasiliy Ryabchenko made "Prince," a roughly 200 x 150 cm painting in which he seems to have started with a clear idea and then let the messiness of paint take over. I am drawn to the way the pale green background feels both deliberate and accidental, almost as if Ryabchenko was trying to find the right hue through layering and re-layering. The paint isn’t too thick, but it’s got this great texture, like you could feel the ghost of his brushstrokes. Look at how the figure seems almost collaged onto the canvas. Ryabchenko's process is all about revealing his own decisions, embracing the imperfect. It reminds me a little of early work by Tal R, who similarly creates dreamlike scenarios. Ultimately, what I love about this piece is how it refuses to be pinned down. It's like a half-remembered dream, where clarity and ambiguity dance together. And isn’t that what art is all about?