Nu Allongé Au Coussin Espagnol 1925

Henri Lebasque's reclining nude was made with oil on canvas. The paint is applied in these broad strokes of creams and tans, with touches of blues and reds, building up a sense of form and light. You can almost feel the artist circling around the model, trying to pin down the way the light falls across her body and the folds of the sheets. I can imagine Lebasque, squinting at his subject, palette in hand, trying to capture the fleeting moment of repose. Did he struggle with the perspective of the outstretched leg, or the curve of her back? I wonder if he sees the world in planes of color, the way he depicts the bedsheets, turning simple patterns into an abstract landscape of shapes and shadows. Look at the way he drags the paint to create the striped cushion. The gestures create texture, volume and depth. Painters, we’re all in conversation with each other across time. There’s something timeless about the way he captures the human form, and I find myself pondering on how different bodies invite different ways of painting. We're all trying to say something with color and form, and I'm thankful for artists like Lebasque, who keep the conversation going.