Dancer in a Red Skirt (Fiesta) (Bleecker Street Tavern Mural) 1940

Franz Kline made this mural painting, Dancer in a Red Skirt, with oil on canvas. The brushwork is really key here. You can almost feel Kline’s wrist moving as he applied the paint. Look closely, and you'll see how these gestures give the whole composition a sense of lively, chaotic movement. The painting was originally made for a tavern, so it's a scene of people enjoying themselves, perhaps a bit too much! Kline seems less interested in accurately depicting the figures, and more interested in the visceral energy of the experience. The swirling composition is all about the dynamics of the crowd. Kline’s technique – the layering, the visible brushstrokes, the almost frantic application of the material – all speak to the intensity of the depicted scene. By foregrounding the materiality of the oil paint and the process of its application, Kline invites us to think about the social spaces where art is created and consumed, questioning our traditional notions of art and craft.