Man with Narrow Tie, Cluett Shirts Arrow Collar advertisement 1910

J.C. Leyendecker made this advertisement for Cluett Shirts with oil paint, using these delicious, creamy whites and warm hues. I can almost feel the artist’s hand moving across the canvas, layering brushstrokes to build up the form. There's something so satisfying about the way Leyendecker captures light. See how it glints off the man's hair and shirt, adding depth to the painting. I wonder what it was like to stand in front of the model, observing every detail, mixing the colours just right to capture his likeness. Look at those confident strokes defining the figure against the abstract background. It's like Leyendecker is saying, "I know exactly what I'm doing." It reminds me of the work of other figurative painters who use bold brushwork to create a sense of immediacy, but Leyendecker's approach is uniquely his own. We, as painters, are always riffing off each other, learning from the past while pushing things forward. It is the most fun! This painting, like many, is about how we see, think, and experience the world.