Bull XXII 2017

Russ Warren made this “Bull XXII” with what looks like oil stick on paper. Can’t you just imagine the artist rubbing the pigment into the surface, letting the bull emerge from the blue ground? I feel like he was thinking about Picasso when he made this – the way the lines describing the bull’s head are both economical and expressive, like a child’s drawing, but a knowing one. Look at how the black of the bull is built up with layers of crayon, while the background is scumbled, suggesting depth and atmosphere. I’m drawn to the way Warren simplifies the form, focusing on the essential elements of the animal. It reminds me of other artists who have taken on the bull as a subject—from cave paintings to modernist sculpture. Artists are always riffing off each other, it's a conversation across time. Painting is an embodiment of that conversation, as each artist contributes their voice to the ongoing dialogue.