Popular cry 1948

Paul Delvaux made this painting, Popular cry, with oil on canvas and it feels like stepping into a dream – or maybe a stage set. Delvaux's colors are so soft and the transitions are blended. There is a hazy atmosphere that lends itself to the uncanny feeling of the piece. Everything is carefully rendered, smoothed out. But the smoothness, I think, is what makes this painting so affecting. The light is so even, so theatrical, like a movie set. Delvaux's smoothness is part of the point; he's not after realism, but a certain mood. The women in the scene seem disconnected, but what is the connection to the viewer? Think about the women's bows – giant pink satin. They’re so bright and out of place – they pop out almost like clown makeup. Maybe they’re Delvaux's way of waking us up, of reminding us that nothing is quite as it seems. Delvaux shares some common ground with Magritte, particularly in the way the two artists approach the genre of surrealism, however, where Magritte uses clean, graphic forms, Delvaux relies on atmospheric perspective and careful observation. Ultimately, what this painting means is up to you. It is, after all, only a suggestion.