Windmill in Rotterdam 1955

David Burliuk's 'Windmill in Rotterdam' is a wild, textural landscape painting, probably made with oil on canvas, given the juicy, scrubby way the colors are laid down. I can almost feel the artist wrestling with the scene, trying to capture the bigness of the windmill against the sky, and the way the clouds puff up like cotton. There is an undeniable, charming awkwardness to the painting – the pinks and blues are almost too much, too sweet – and there’s something incredibly endearing about the way the paint is slathered on, like frosting on a cake. It's like Burliuk is saying, "Here's what I saw, here's how I felt, take it or leave it!" The way Burliuk layers the paint reminds me of Van Gogh, with the brushstrokes almost vibrating with energy. I bet Burliuk would have loved knowing his paintings speak across time, energizing other artists like me. Painting's just one big, messy, beautiful conversation, right?