Montecalvello 1979

With its gentle palette of greens, browns, and grays, Balthus’ painting looks like it came into being slowly, shifting, like a dream emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I imagine Balthus standing there, brush in hand, thinking about how to capture the light as it spills across the landscape. The paint is applied thinly, almost like a veil, allowing the surface to breathe, and the delicate brushstrokes suggest a quiet, meditative process. There, the lines and forms of those rocks, how they cut across the space and invite you to imagine what it must feel like to touch them! Balthus was a singular painter, and his work often feels like a world apart. But he’s in conversation with other artists, too, with the old masters and their landscapes. Ultimately, painting is an ongoing exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Balthus invites us to embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.