Dollhouse III 2016

Joshua Flint, born in 1977, made this painting, Dollhouse III, with oils. I can feel the image emerging through washes of muted color, blues and browns. Imagine Flint standing before the canvas, building up layers, wiping them away, searching for the light. There's this girl, right? In the foreground with a massive bow in her hair, a little like Alice in Wonderland. But it's not Wonderland she's looking at, but this cityscape. It’s all soft focus and blurred lights. And that little doll-like figure, lost in contemplation, her back turned to us, what is she thinking? The brushstrokes are loose, but deliberate, each one adding to the overall atmosphere of the piece. Like a symphony of light and shadow. It reminds me of Gerhard Richter’s blurred paintings, or maybe even Whistler’s nocturnes. We’re all in dialogue with each other across time. Because in the end, painting is this conversation. We are always asking questions.