Blue Barn and Snow 1976

This is Eyvind Earle’s ‘Blue Barn and Snow’ and just looking at it I can imagine him layering thin glazes of paint to create these subtly gradated blues. I wonder if he was thinking about illuminated manuscripts when he made it? What strikes me is that the surface is almost entirely flat but Earle still achieves a strong feeling of depth. The solid mass of the tree trunk, draped in snow, looks both imposing and sheltering. I bet it felt good to mix those icy blues and watch the scene emerge. I notice that the snow isn’t just white, but full of pale blue shadows; a nod to the way light interacts with form. It makes me think about Japanese woodblock prints; Earle’s definitely having a conversation with other artists! It's kind of magical how painting continues to evolve through these connections.