The Sacrifice 1993

Alexander Bogen made this painting, The Sacrifice, with oil, probably around the mid-twentieth century, and it’s a tangle of strokes and symbolic colors, like a dream half-remembered. The blues and greens create a shadowy space, almost claustrophobic, but then there's this figure, rendered in bright yellow and green, that pulls you in. The paint looks applied in quick, intuitive gestures. See how the strokes of color build up a surface that feels both raw and considered? There’s something about the way Bogen uses color here that reminds me of Soutine - that urgency, that almost violent application of paint, but also a deep sensitivity to the emotional power of color and mark-making. Both artists embrace ambiguity, allowing for multiple readings and emotional responses. It’s the kind of work that lingers with you.