De muilezel 1894 - 1959

Gordinne's "The Mule" seems to be a print, judging by the flat areas of color, maybe a lithograph. The limited palette of browns and greens is really interesting, giving the piece a kind of muted, antique feel. It's like the artist is thinking about the history of this type of work. I love how the form is built up through simple blocks of color. Look at the mule's body – Gordinne uses these broad strokes of brown to define the shape. The green of the grass is quite flat, like Matisse. There is little detail, but these shapes really work. It reminds me a bit of some old folk art, where the goal isn’t necessarily realism, but more about capturing the essence of the subject. Gordinne is clearly part of an ongoing conversation about artmaking, and how we can capture the world around us. There’s a definite charm in embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations.