Le Baiser 1971

Evelyne Axell made "Le Baiser," or The Kiss, with paint, creating a world of deep blues and soft whites. The whole thing feels like a process of revealing. Look at how she builds up the woman's form with these delicate, almost hesitant marks. It’s like she's feeling her way through the image, letting it emerge rather than dictating what it should be. The blue background isn’t just a backdrop, it’s alive, vibrating with the potential for other forms and feelings. Notice the surface, how the paint is applied thinly in layers, letting the blue breathe. The layering creates a depth, a kind of emotional texture that pulls you in. The way the woman’s body morphs into a fish at the bottom is also interesting, it speaks to a fluidity of identity, a dissolving of boundaries between human and animal. Axell’s work reminds me a little of someone like Christina Ramberg, in the way she uses a simplified style to get at these complex ideas about gender and sexuality. It's a reminder that art is not about answers, it’s about the questions we ask and the ways we look.