Cotyo, Perfica, Volupie 1963

This enigmatic scene by Felix Labisse presents three female figures emerging from a cool, muted background. It makes me wonder, what kind of world did he think he was living in? Labisse laid down the paint in a smooth, almost airbrushed manner, lending a surreal quality to the figures, as if they are apparitions from a dream. I can feel a kinship with Labisse when he’s working on this, thinking about the history of representing women, but then twisting it, making it strange and other. The colours - the pale skin tones against the strong blues and blacks - create a sense of unease, or maybe of intense interiority. It reminds me a bit of de Chirico's uncanny atmosphere or perhaps the cool classicism of Balthus, but with its own distinct, slightly unsettling twist. Ultimately, Labisse leaves us with questions rather than answers, reflecting the unknowable depths of the human psyche and the endless possibilities of paint. Isn't it so good when paintings let your mind wander like that?