Advertissement à Madame de Montespan 2020

Carlos Sablòn made this ‘Advertissement à Madame de Montespan’ sometime after he was born in 1981, probably with oils and a hefty dose of imagination. The colors are rich, deep reds and blues, but it’s the brushwork that gets me. See how the lines swirl and dance, especially in the figure's dress? It feels like the paint is alive, constantly moving and transforming, just like thoughts and feelings. The paint is applied with a fluidity that gives it a surreal quality. The shapes hint at forms without fully resolving into them. Take a look at the woman’s headpiece, flowers mixed with what looks like a bird’s nest. It’s a beautiful mess, a collision of nature and artifice. It makes me think of Remedios Varo, who also created these kinds of surreal worlds full of symbolism. Ultimately, this painting reminds us that art doesn't have to make sense, it just has to make you feel something.