Woman Lying Down with Her Arms Raised 1907

This is "Woman Lying Down with Her Arms Raised" by Jules Pascin, but when it was painted, or with what, nobody knows for sure. The colours are all hazy, like seeing a dream through fog. Look at the way Pascin builds up the skin tones, layer upon layer. It’s like he's not just painting a body, but trying to capture the very feeling of flesh, the softness and warmth. I'm really drawn to the way the paint handles the curves of the hips and thighs. You can almost feel the give of the skin, the weight of the body pressing down on the bed. It’s all suggestion, you know? Nothing’s really “finished,” and that's what makes it so interesting. Pascin’s way of playing with tone reminds me a little of Bonnard – that same interest in the everyday, domestic scene, but with a kind of melancholy. Art's like this ongoing conversation, right?