Samurai 2012

Alexander Roitburd made this painting of a Samurai, using luscious, moody strokes to bring it into being. It's not just a representation of a warrior; it feels like Roitburd was wrestling with ideas of strength, tradition, and maybe even a bit of melancholy. I can imagine him stepping back, squinting, then diving back in with the brush to capture the light glinting off the sword, the weight of the robes, the intensity of his stare. The paint is worked, layered, and almost sculptural in places. I love the almost jarring contrast between the carefully rendered face and the more frenetic marks of the robe, covered with what looks like worms. It reminds me that painters are always in conversation with each other, across time and space. Roitburd's Samurai is part of that ongoing dialogue, a testament to the power of painting to embody feeling, to provoke thought, and to keep the conversation alive.