Sea Rocks 1981

Alexander Bogen made this painting, Sea Rocks, with some kind of paint, sometime during his lifetime. It's a painting about process as much as place, I think. I love the way Bogen uses color to create depth and texture. The blues are layered, almost marbled, giving the impression of water in constant motion. Then, these little pops of red scattered throughout, especially on the right side, give the painting a sense of energy, like tiny sparks or hidden creatures. Look at the way he handles the paint! It’s thick in some areas, almost sculptural, and then thin and washy in others. You can see the brushstrokes and the way the colors blend and bleed into each other. I think of Joan Mitchell or even de Kooning when I see this kind of energetic brushwork. It reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation, with each artist building on the ideas of those who came before.