A Close Portrait 2021

Milt Kobayashi made this close portrait in a swirl of brushstrokes and muted tones, punctuated by that bold slash of red above her head. I can just imagine the artist working on this, stepping back, squinting, then lunging forward to add a touch of pink to her cheek or a shadow under her eye. There’s a real push and pull between representation and abstraction going on here, isn’t there? It's like Kobayashi is wrestling with the paint, trying to capture something fleeting and ineffable about this woman. I love the way that swipe of red sets off the whole painting, kind of like a halo. I feel like the ghost of a Rothko hovers above this image! It reminds us that painting is an ongoing conversation, and that each artist brings their own experiences to the dialogue. It's as if the history of art is whispering in their ear. It’s all about feeling your way through the uncertainty, finding meaning in the process itself.