Nurture 1935

Nikola Martinoski made "Nurture" with oil on what looks like either canvas or board, and it's all about how marks can construct ways of seeing and feeling. The paint is laid on thick in places, especially in the red shirt and around the face, giving it a real sense of texture. You can almost feel the warmth of the mother's embrace. Look at how he uses these little jabs of color to define the shapes, it's almost like he's sculpting with the paint. I find myself drawn to the way the yellow background sort of bleeds into the green on the left, creating this hazy, dreamlike space. It reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another artist who wasn't afraid to tackle the complexities of motherhood. Ultimately, it's the ambiguity that makes it so compelling. There is an ongoing conversation of ideas across time.