New Delhi surplombée 1982

Pierre Alechinsky made this painting, New Delhi surplombée, using loose, flowing lines and a muted color palette of browns, greens, and blacks, like he was feeling his way through a dream. I'm really drawn to the way Alechinsky plays with the surface of the painting. The paint looks thin and transparent in some areas, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through, while in other spots, it's built up with these gestural marks. Look at the way the black ink outlines everything, like a comic, but then dissolves into the background. Those scribbled lines create a sense of movement and energy, as if the whole scene is vibrating with life. It reminds me a bit of Philip Guston's later work, where he embraced this kind of raw, expressive mark-making. Ultimately, this painting feels like a conversation, a back-and-forth between control and spontaneity. It's like Alechinsky is saying, "Here's what I see, but also here's how I feel about it."