A Flight 2002

Vlada Ralko created this painting, A Flight, with oil on canvas; it's like a vivid daydream. I can imagine her standing before the canvas, brush loaded, diving into that electric green ground. The mushroom floats, caught in a moment of transformation. The thick paint, especially in that crimson cap, gives it a weight, a presence, like a solid object defying gravity. Ralko’s touch feels immediate, intuitive. You can sense the push and pull, the back-and-forth decisions that shaped this strange, compelling form. It reminds me of Magritte, or even some of Guston’s later, more cartoony works, but with its own distinct, slightly unsettling energy. What is she trying to tell us? What state of mind did she experience? Painters are always talking to each other, across time and space, riffing on each other’s ideas. And here, in this little painting, Ralko adds her own unique voice to the conversation.