Pathetic Still Life 2012

Alexander Roitburd made this painting, *Pathetic Still Life*, with oil paint and a lot of feeling. You can see it in every brushstroke, the way the colors mix and blend, almost like he was right there in the moment, pushing and pulling the paint to capture something raw and real. I can imagine him standing there in front of the canvas, maybe a little world-weary, definitely observant. Those thick, textured strokes, especially in the cloth draped under the cups, tell a story. The paint is laid on with a kind of determined touch, like he’s trying to dig into the surface, find some truth in these everyday objects. The colors, mostly muted browns and blues, create a mood that's heavy but also strangely comforting, like an old familiar song. It makes me think about how all of us painters are just trying to make sense of the world, one brushstroke at a time, carrying on a conversation that’s been going on for centuries. Each of us adds our own voice, our own story.