October Interior 1963

Fairfield Porter’s "October Interior" is a painting, likely made with oil on canvas, where the boundary between inside and outside gets wonderfully blurred. Porter's mark-making feels intuitive, almost casual, but look closer, and you’ll see how each dab of color is carefully considered. There's a real emphasis on the material quality of paint itself. The color is opaque, and the layers are built up. It’s not about hiding the process, but about letting it breathe. The strokes around the window give it structure but leave space, allowing light to flood the room. A rocking horse sits facing a woman in the corner, drawing the eye into the domestic space, while the view through the window reveals the world outside. It brings to mind the paintings of Pierre Bonnard, particularly in the way he captures the quiet intimacy of domestic life. What a joy, the everyday.