Child in Rocker c. 1916

Henry Lyman Saÿen made this painting, Child in Rocker, using gouache, and you can see it’s all about layering. It’s a process of putting down colors and shapes, then building up something that’s both recognizable and totally abstract. The material quality of the gouache gives the painting a flat, matte surface, almost like a poster. It’s not trying to trick you into thinking it’s real life. The colors, though—they’re anything but flat. Look at the child’s face: pink cheeks, yellow hair, blue eyes. Each part is outlined and separated, creating a pattern. Then, see how the stripes on the blanket clash with the floral background? This is a formal language that seems chaotic but is clearly highly considered. It reminds me a bit of Marsden Hartley, another American painter who was working around the same time. Both artists were pushing the boundaries of representation, embracing the idea that a painting could be a collection of shapes and colors, rather than a perfect imitation of reality. It’s a good example of how art is always a conversation, an exchange of ideas across time.