Persimmons 2006

Lisa Yuskavage made this painting, *Persimmons*, using oils to create a world that feels both intimate and a little surreal. The painting has this warm, golden light washing over everything, like a memory or a dream. Look at the surface, how the paint is smoothed out, almost like a glaze, which gives it this otherworldly glow. Then there’s the girl herself, bathed in pinks and yellows, holding the persimmon as if it were a precious object. Her gaze is internal, lost in thought, which makes you wonder what she’s thinking about. There is this tension between the real and the imagined. It’s hard not to think of other artists who played with light and form, like Balthus, maybe, or even some of the Pre-Raphaelites, who weren’t afraid to embrace beauty and mystery. Ultimately, it invites us to step into a space where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur.