Murmuring Ban 2017

David Michael Hinnebusch made this painting, "Murmuring Ban," size 30 x 30 cm with who-knows-what, and when, exactly? I love that it's all a bit of a mystery, because artmaking is such a process anyway, isn’t it? Looking at this, the first thing that grabs me is the physicality of the paint. It's like Hinnebusch was really *in* there, wrestling with the colors and forms, not worrying about getting it “right.” The paint application is scrappy and thick in some places and scratched back in others. Take that drippy, blood-red mass at the top – is it a head? An angry sun? The way it bleeds down the surface feels almost violent. There’s something very Philip Guston about that, you know? The way Hinnebusch embraces the awkwardness and vulnerability of the medium. He isn't trying to be cool or slick. Instead, he's saying something raw and honest, letting the painting be what it wants to be, which is pretty great, right?