Le Comité de sécurité de la Ville de Paris et du département de la Seine, pendant la guerre de 1914-1918 1918

Jean-Paul Laurens made this painting of the Security Committee of Paris during the First World War, and I just want to hang out with it for a while. I wonder what it was like to be Laurens, painting these guys, probably in a dark suit, sitting at a table, reviewing documents. Maybe he thought about Goya as he painted it? Maybe he was interested in the light on their faces, a way to make the men more alive, to animate their still and serious presence. I notice the reddish hues of the mural in the background, and how they mirror the colour in the faces of the men. The documents on the table appear like so many white brushstrokes of light. I like to imagine that Laurens would have wanted us, years later, to have a close look and to see what he saw. How painting can make still people move.