Janet Bishop’s traveling retrospective of the work of David Park from SF MoMA came during pandemic and wasn’t as widely seen as it should have been. This painting from 1957, Bather With Knee Up, is typical of a subject that he often returned to and which looks utterly modern alongside the current return to figuration. Yet there are echoes of German Expressionism which he may have seen from exhibitions in the Bay Area. The solid figure of the man seems as universal as a Michelangelo. Park worked often from memory in his later work but used sketches to refine or adjust. Though Diebenkorn departed from figuration Park did not live long enough for us to know what would have become of his style. This work will presumably eventually be on view in Thom Mayne’s new building for the Orange County Museum. As we head into LA Gallery weekend and Felix Art Fair it will be interesting to see where California artists are today.