Ours Petrifies 1958

Albert Bitran made this painting, Ours Petrifies, with oil on canvas. Looking at it, I can see the creamy off-whites, blues, reds, and blacks laid down, scraped away, and smeared. I can imagine the artist in the studio, working with the canvas, pushing the paint around, maybe wiping it off, and then starting again. I feel like I can see Bitran making something that is almost there but then obscured, like a ghost. That big, red splash in the middle feels emotional, but the way it drips down softens it, makes it less aggressive. It's like the painting is trying to say something, but it’s also holding back, unsure. The forms are almost architectural, but also kind of collapsing. I get a sense that, like many artists, Bitran is in dialogue with other painters across time and space, always responding to the past while forging their own path.