Rowboat 1958

David Park’s ‘Rowboat’ is, for me, all about thick paint and the physical struggle of making a painting. I see the artist grappling with how to represent these figures, how to make them solid and real with just gobs of color. I can imagine Park mixing up a juicy pile of ochre and cadmium yellow, laying it on thick for the boat’s hull, then pulling a brushstroke across, leaving a wake of texture. The bodies are built up with fleshy pinks and reds, outlined with dark blues and purples. It’s almost violent, this application of paint, but it gives the figures weight and presence. Look at the blue and green strokes surrounding the rowboat: each touch of the brush feels deliberate, searching for the right place to land. It feels like a conversation. Like he is saying something through the paint, making a splash.