Birth of Venus 1947

Paul Delvaux made this "Birth of Venus" using oil on canvas. I can only imagine him in his studio, layering that paint, trying to capture the atmosphere of this bizarre scene, which is both classical and, yet, totally strange. Look at how smoothly he renders the nudes, contrasting with the choppy waves. I wonder if he built up the texture slowly, adding glazes to achieve that porcelain-like skin. It feels both precise and dreamlike. The way the figures are arranged makes me think about Manet, but with an odd, unsettling twist. And those wide-open eyes! What are they looking at? What did Delvaux want us to see? There's a sense of stillness, or maybe dread, that feels very contemporary despite the classical references. It’s like he's inviting us into a very specific, slightly uncomfortable, world. Painters, you know, we're all in conversation with each other, and Delvaux has added something uniquely weird to the mix.