Portrait de Jacques Nayral 1911

Albert Gleizes made this Portrait de Jacques Nayral with oil paint, and you can see how he’s wrestling with the idea of a person, a space, and maybe even a feeling, all at once. It’s like he's trying to catch something elusive, breaking it down into facets, a bit like early computer graphics, but way more soulful. The colours are muted, almost smoky, with greens and greys that give it a kind of serious mood. Look at the way the light hits Nayral’s hands, folding the paper. It’s this little burst of brightness amid the earth tones, and it brings attention to the act of reading or contemplation, of thinking and reflection. Gleizes is showing you the world through a fractured lens, challenging you to piece it back together. I think of Picasso, of course, but also someone like Marsden Hartley, with that same rugged, searching quality. Art’s not just about what you see, but how you see it, and Gleizes really makes you feel that.