Ice Skaters 1909

J.C. Leyendecker made this painting of Ice Skaters with great skill and a feeling for how light glances off everything. Look at those thin brushstrokes, layering and building up surfaces and forms. It’s kind of a dance, isn't it? I imagine Leyendecker, brush in hand, really getting into the feeling of ice skating, the cold air on your cheeks, and the warmth of a partner’s hand. He creates a world of fur and tweed and flashing blades. What was he thinking as he flicked his brush to capture the texture of the fur boa or the way the ice reflects the sky? I notice how the dark lines around the figures give them weight and presence, almost like the lead lines in stained glass. You can see Leyendecker's influence in the work of many later illustrators and painters. Artists are always borrowing and stealing from each other, passing ideas around like a game of telephone! And like any good painting, this one leaves plenty of room for our own interpretations, a space for us to dream and wonder.