Siesta 1913

Jules Pascin made this painting with oil paint in an unknown year. The hazy brushstrokes and fleshy pinks make me think of a hot summer day. You can almost feel the lassitude in the figures, right? I bet he built up the surface slowly. Layering the strokes to find just the right balance of languor and light. There's a looseness to the forms that feels totally modern. It's like he's more interested in the feeling of the scene than in getting every detail perfect. The way Pascin handles paint reminds me of other painters like Bonnard or Vuillard. There's a similar interest in capturing fleeting moments, in creating an atmosphere that's both intimate and a little bit mysterious. Artists are always bouncing ideas off each other like that. It’s an ongoing conversation that makes painting exciting.