Awakening Heart, romance paperback cover c. 1993

Robert Maguire painted this cover for the romance paperback, Awakening Heart, with oil on board, probably in the mid-20th century. Look at how the strokes of light build up her face and the folds of her yellow dress. I can almost feel the movement in the brush, as if Maguire was searching for the perfect form, editing and refining with each pass. You can imagine Maguire in his studio, pacing back and forth, studying the models, mixing colors, and then suddenly attacking the canvas with bold strokes, driven by emotion and intuition. I think he’s really trying to catch a feeling here, a sense of longing and mystery. The male figure is in shadow. The gesture of his hand on her shoulder is tender, protective. What is she thinking? Maguire's style reminds me of those old Hollywood portraits, but with a more raw and expressive energy. It's like he’s saying, “Let’s not just paint a pretty picture; let’s paint a story.” And that’s what keeps me coming back to painting: this sense of endless possibility and the idea that every brushstroke can carry a world of meaning.