Winter wind 1966

Eugene Leroy made this painting, Winter Wind, with thick paint, like he was wrestling with the elements themselves. The brushstrokes are forceful, almost sculptural, creating a surface that's as much about the act of painting as it is about the landscape. Look at how he builds up the layers, the dabs and smears of blues, greens, and browns. There's a real physicality to it; you can almost feel the wind whipping through the trees. The paint is so thick in places it's like looking at a relief map, a terrain of pure color. It's not just about depicting a scene, it's about the raw energy of being in it, a kind of embodied experience. Leroy reminds me of other painters who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, like Joan Mitchell, who also used paint to convey emotion as much as representation. They show us that painting isn't just about what you see, but about how you feel.