Nymphs Bathing 1938

Paul Delvaux made this oil on canvas called Nymphs Bathing. The heavy darkness of the water makes the figures gleam brighter. The waves feel pretty rough actually, and that makes me think about the artist’s hand moving back and forth as he tries to capture the movement of the water. I wonder what it was like for Delvaux to be in the studio, wrestling with the act of painting, trying to bring this scene to life. Did he feel like he was controlling the figures, or did they surprise him? I am trying to imagine how he painted each of the figures, each with its own distinctive attitude. That nymph with the fan is hilarious. It reminds me that painting is so much about seeing, thinking, and feeling all at once. Painters are always responding to the work of the past, trying to make something new out of something old. In the end, painting is a way to embrace the uncertainty of life, to find meaning in ambiguity.