African Dance 2010

Gazmend Freitag made "African Dance," probably in 2010, with oils on canvas. The piece feels immediate because of its juicy brushstrokes, like Freitag's working right in front of us. Looking at the dancer in the foreground, you can see how the paint is built up in layers, especially around her headscarf. It’s thick and opaque in some spots, thin and transparent in others, giving the whole image a vibrant, flickering quality. There’s a kind of raw energy in how Freitag applies the paint, almost like he’s sculpting the figures with the brush. I can see the push and pull of the medium, like the painting is a record of Freitag's own dance with the canvas. It reminds me a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, in the way she used bold color and simplified forms to capture the essence of her subjects, but with an expressionistic approach that’s all Freitag’s own. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what this piece means, and to let the dance begin.