Woman in front of the sea 1943

Paul Delvaux painted ‘Woman in front of the sea’ with oil on canvas. What strikes me first is the dreamy, almost theatrical light, and how it models the figures. The surface is smooth, the brushwork is really tight, almost invisible, which gives the scene a still and slightly eerie quality. I can't help but look at the way the two women in the foreground are painted, especially their hands, where the delicate rendering contrasts with the surreal setting. The warm, fleshy tones of their skin really pop against the cooler blues of the sea and sky. I love how this area contrasts with the industrial shapes on the left - the gas tanks. Delvaux always reminds me of De Chirico, but with more naked ladies and trains. Both artists use strange juxtapositions of objects, figures, and spaces, creating a world that feels both familiar and totally alien, a space that makes you feel lost in thought. And in the end, isn't that what art is all about?