Dylan Thomas 1938

Augustus John’s portrait of Dylan Thomas is a little snapshot of painterly intuition. The blue, pink, and peach brushstrokes dance together, capturing something more than just likeness, a presence maybe. I imagine John, brush in hand, circling Thomas, trying to pin down that spark in his eye, the way the light catches those wild curls. Did they talk about poetry? Did they argue? You can see the urgency in the paint, the almost desperate attempt to capture something fleeting. The paint is put down quickly, alla prima, wet on wet. It's a dance of observation and response. Those curls, rendered in swirling browns and reds, almost take on a life of their own! The strokes are like words, forming a sentence, a thought. John is asking, "Who is this man? What makes him tick?” And maybe, just maybe, he found an answer in the process. Like a painter friend of mine once said: It's not about what you paint, it's about how the painting reveals itself to you.