May Bartels

May Bartels creates expressionist oil paintings that explore intimacy, desire, and guarded introspection through closely paired figures, embraces, and solitary portraits. Her dark, nocturnal compositions use fractured planes, sweeping strokes, and concentrated flashes of crimson, orange, ochre, and green against near-black grounds. Roses and warm garments become vivid emotional anchors. The work feels theatrical and tender, inviting viewers into charged moments of connection and silence.