Family of puppeteers 1934

Rafael Zabaleta painted "Family of Puppeteers" with oils, and I can imagine him applying the paint thickly to create its textured surface. The blues and browns create a moody scene, like a play is about to begin under the night sky. I'm curious about the painting's surface; how Zabaleta may have layered the paint, building up texture and depth. The figures, with their somber faces and earthy tones, are painted with bold, confident strokes. Look at the woman on the left, for example, her dress and the instrument she holds rendered with a sort of angular expressiveness. Zabaleta really captures the humanity of these performers. I think of other figurative painters like Kathe Kollwitz, whose work carries a similar weight. Artists look at and learn from each other, and so too can we continue to look and learn from them. It’s not always about answers, but about feeling and experiencing.