The Blue Mandarin Coat 1922

Joseph DeCamp painted this portrait, 'The Blue Mandarin Coat,' with oil. I find myself drawn to the way DeCamp used color and brushstrokes to create a sense of light and depth, especially the blue of the coat against the dark background. It gives the painting such a unique, luminous quality. The painting reminds me of the way we, as artists, build up layers of meaning in our work, just like DeCamp built up layers of paint. Look at the folds of the coat, how he captures the weight and texture of the fabric with such minimal brushstrokes. And see how the color of the sleeves contrasts with the body of the coat. I feel like the way the artist has constructed the garment mirrors something about painting itself: how we take something flat and turn it into something three-dimensional. I'm reminded of John Singer Sargent, in the way DeCamp captures the elegance and sophistication of his subject. But there’s also something very modern about the way he plays with light and shadow, embracing ambiguity and leaving room for interpretation.