The Three Masks 1923

Juan Gris made this painting, The Three Masks, with oil on canvas. Look at how the three figures emerge out of geometrical blocks of blue and tan. I wonder what it was like for Gris to decide which color should go where. How much of it was intuition, and how much was conscious planning? I can imagine him feeling a sense of excitement as the composition gradually came into being, each gesture and color choice informing the next. The paint isn’t super thick, but Gris applies it in layers, creating a sort of depth that almost feels like you could step into the painting. There is a theatrical atmosphere, like a stage set with curtains that are draped behind the characters. But who are these characters and what are they doing? Gris made many paintings and collages of harlequins and theatrical characters. He was part of the Cubist movement, alongside Picasso and Braque, who were also inspired by theater. For me, there is something about painting that can feel like putting on a mask. We are constantly taking inspiration from one another. And maybe we don’t even realize how much we are influenced by what came before us.