Outromer 1979

Ilya Bolotowsky made this painting, Outromer, using geometric shapes and a flat color palette. Imagine him in his studio, armed with a brush and a steady hand, carefully applying each stroke with precision. I like to think about the way that the different shapes lock together and push against each other; they create a dynamic tension and a sense of balance. The painting is like a puzzle of color and form. I wonder if Bolotowsky, like other painters of the time, was thinking about the utopian ideals of abstraction, and about how art can create new possibilities for seeing and experiencing the world. How the purity of the abstract form, like the color blue, could unlock a more expanded state of mind. The artist offers us a glimpse into the way we can play with the fundamentals of painting. It feels like a conversation, an exchange of ideas, and a sense of play.