Nodes Rose 1937

Paul Delvaux made this oil painting, Nodes Rose, and he laid the paint down pretty smooth. It’s not drippy or anything, but there is a definite feel for form and flatness combined, which is interesting. Look closely at the light here, and the way it hits those bare bodies. It feels so deliberate, the way he uses light and shadow to sculpt their figures. It's like they're emerging from a dream, or a really weird theatrical performance. Everything seems so still and posed, right? And the way he paints the figures, so smoothly and realistically, it’s like a classical sculpture brought to life, but in a totally surreal context. You can see that same tension in the work of De Chirico, with those weird classical landscapes and figures. Really though, it's that feeling of dreamlike stillness that makes Delvaux so unique. It's a conversation that goes on across time, isn't it? A painting like this stays open, refusing to give up all its secrets at once.