The Carriage Or Walk To The Cascine 1942

Antonio Bueno painted "The Carriage Or Walk To The Cascine" with oils, and the brushwork is smooth, almost like you're looking at a photograph. The people are painted with such realism, you can almost imagine the texture of their clothes and the soft skin of their faces. Look at how Bueno renders the light on their faces, casting shadows that give them a three-dimensional presence. The surface is smooth, concealing the process, but that smoothness enhances the emotional impact of the piece. There is an oddness here, the subjects' faces are painted in a hyper-realistic style, but the sky and trees in the background are simplified and appear flat. It reminds me of Balthus in the way the artist captures the quiet intensity of the figures. Ultimately, the painting lives in its ambiguities, inviting multiple readings, and never settling on one fixed interpretation.