Bradley Rubenstein reflects on paintings shows from the past season and looks forward to several upcoming shows including: Albert Oehlen: Home and Garden The New Museum (through Sept 9), Magalie Guérin at Lyles & King (Sept 8–Oct 4), Brenda Goodman: Selected Work 1961–2015 at the College for Creative Studies, Center Galleries, Detroit (Nov 14–Dec 19), Painting is Not Doomed to Repeat Itself at Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York (Sept 24–Oct 31), and Erin Smith: The Right Place at the Right Time at Amy Li Projects, New York (Sep 10–Oct 31).

Rubenstein asks: "What will we find in paint this season? It is difficult to find overarching themes and styles in much of the current work of the past few years, compared to the 80s (when art 'movements' came pre-packaged with names like 'neo-geo') or the early aughts when a single artist (like Damien Hirst) could fill a dozen galleries with his brand. We are seeing a return to a more intimate, personal type of painting—one that points toward a style that while conceptually vital and disciplined, and drawing upon an array of influences, shows an artist who is primarily a maker of painterly images, ones that are quirky and personal."