Cigarette Makers in Seville 1924

Sir John Lavery made this painting of cigarette makers in Seville, and the quick, loose brushstrokes give it a sense of immediacy. The color palette is muted, mostly browns and creams, but then BAM, there's this vibrant blue dress with little white polka dots. You can almost smell the tobacco and hear the chatter of the women. It's all in the paint handling. Look at the way he's built up the surface, thick in some places, thin in others, with visible brushstrokes everywhere. That blue dress, for instance, each dot feels like a deliberate decision, but also impulsive, you know? Lavery reminds me a bit of Manet, in his attention to capturing a specific moment and his loose brushwork. What I love about painting is how it can freeze a moment in time, but also keep it alive with all the energy and messiness of the process. It's like the painting is always in conversation with itself, never quite settled, always open to interpretation.