Bandbox (detail) c. 1940

This is a painting, by Holger Hansen, called "Bandbox," of no fixed date. It's a dreamy vision, full of teal and earthy browns, and some strategically placed light pinks. I wonder if Hansen was thinking of Derain when he made this. It’s like someone flattened all of Derain’s Fauvist landscapes into one decorative package. I imagine him carefully applying each layer, building up this enchanting scene bit by bit. There's a rooster in the foreground that almost seems to be fading away, while behind him there’s a walled, turreted castle, a bit like a stage set. It’s all so self-consciously unreal! And the real subject of the work, beyond its overt imagery, is how Hansen translated color into a kind of form. I love how paintings can hold so many conversations at once. Hansen speaks to Derain, maybe to Matisse, and then to all of us who are looking and listening, years later. It’s a reminder that artists never really work in isolation. We're all just talking to each other, across time.