Susanna at her Bath 2012

Alexander Roitburd painted Susanna at her Bath with oil on canvas. You can see the brushstrokes are thick and juicy, like he's really digging into the material. It’s all about the physicality of the paint here, isn't it? Look how Roitburd layers the reds and oranges. It’s like he’s building up a whole world out of color. The green and yellow lines create a tension, snaking across the canvas, connecting and dividing the figures. There is one, thick daub of yellow where the woman's hair should be, it is really something. It's this sort of impulsive gesture that really makes Roitburd's work sing. It all reminds me of Francis Bacon, the way he twisted and distorted the human form. But Roitburd brings his own flavor, a kind of dark humor, like he's saying, "Yeah, life's messy, but let's make some art about it anyway."