Figures at Night 1962

Patrick Procktor made this painting, Figures at Night, using expressive brushstrokes of cool blues, greens, and contrasting orange. You can imagine the artist’s movements, swirling brush in hand as the figures begin to emerge, shifting and developing through a process of trial and error. It’s like Procktor is wrestling with the paint, pushing it around, making it submit to his vision of bodies in space, and it's tempting to wonder, what might he have been thinking? The paint is applied with varying thickness, creating texture that adds depth to the composition. See how the strokes of orange, laid on top, communicate a sense of tension and dynamism! Procktor’s work often explores themes of identity and perception, as does the work of other painters like Francis Bacon. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, exchanging ideas across time, and in this case, inspiring a kind of embodied expression that embraces ambiguity. What a joy to witness!