Balbesin upbringing 1988

Vasiliy Ryabchenko made this oil painting, Balbesin upbringing, with big gestures and a kind of fleshy, intimate color palette. It feels like the making of the painting itself, the laying down of marks, is a big part of what it’s about. Look at how the colors smear and blend, especially in the figure seated on the right; it's like the paint is still wet, still resolving itself. The surface has this slippery, almost uncomfortable feeling, like touching something that’s not quite solid. The red outline of the smaller figure on the left is so raw, like a quick decision that Ryabchenko just went with. There's a weird tenderness in this piece, maybe in its messiness, it reminds me a bit of Francis Bacon, but with more heart. It's not polished or slick; it’s like Ryabchenko is showing us his process, his doubts, and his messy humanity.