Oath in the Hall for the Ball Game 2010

Alexander Roitburd’s painting ‘Oath in the Hall for the Ball Game’ seems to depict a ritual, maybe a slightly scary one, carried out in a dark space. The hooded figures, rendered in muted whites and grays, contrast starkly with the almost neon spaghetti-like forms at the bottom. Roitburd’s brushwork is kind of fascinating here. The paint is applied with visible strokes, especially noticeable in the drapery and the strange sausage shapes hovering above – you can almost feel the artist building up the forms layer by layer. The texture of the canvas adds another layer to the paintings surface, creating a tactile experience for the viewer. That pop of color, though – those glowing lines – it almost feels like a jolt, a contemporary element thrown into this otherwise somber scene. It reminds me a bit of Sigmar Polke, who also liked to play with contrasting styles and materials to create a sense of unease and ambiguity. Ultimately, the meaning remains elusive, but maybe that’s the point. Art doesn’t always have to provide answers, sometimes it’s enough to just ask questions.