Stop 2012

Jerome Mesnager made this artwork called 'Stop', sometime around 2012, and it's painted right onto a wooden surface. The white figure is so ghostly, like it just appeared. Look at how Mesnager uses the wood grain as part of the image, it gives a sort of structure to the figure, and grounds it. The white paint is applied pretty directly, you can see the strokes, no fuss, no muss. It's like he's saying, "Here I am, making a mark." That white figure against the aged wood, feels kind of tender, like a fleeting memory or a dream. It brings to mind other artists who've worked with found surfaces and simple gestures, like Barry McGee. There's something raw and immediate about it, like he's having a conversation right there on the street. Art isn't just in galleries, it's everywhere, talking to us.