Image 1960

Vilen Barsky made this image with paint and possibly a brush. It is a kind of playful portrait, which is built up through layers of loose marks, like a puzzle. The process feels out in the open for us to see. I particularly enjoy how the red face is delineated with this electric blue line, almost like neon. Note how it loops and curls over the mouth, giving the whole head a sense of inner thought or secret knowledge. The paint application varies – some parts are thick, like the impasto strokes of white that frame the face; others are thin washes, allowing the ground to peek through. This kind of free and intuitive exploration of the figure reminds me a bit of Picasso's later paintings, where he too let his imagination run wild, playing with colour and form to create images that feel both familiar and strange. It invites us to embrace the ambiguity and endless possibilities of artmaking.