Roitburd VS Caravaggio. Opus # 008 2009

This is Roitburd, riffing off Caravaggio with oil on canvas. The darkness of the ground makes the figures emerge with a raw immediacy. But look closer, and you'll notice these bright, almost neon squiggles dancing across the surface. I can imagine Roitburd in his studio, wrestling with the weight of art history. Caravaggio's drama, his chiaroscuro, it’s all there, but then he adds his own layer. He's not just copying; he's talking back. Those lines, they feel like thoughts, like a buzzing energy that disrupts the seriousness. That dripping line from the orb is so great. It almost undermines the somber mood, but doesn't quite. It’s like a painterly question mark, saying, "What if...?" Painting is a conversation. Artists build on what came before, twisting and turning ideas into something new. Roitburd took Caravaggio and made it his own. It’s a bold act, full of guts and a deep love for the possibilities of paint.