Supper Time 1940

Horace Pippin made "Supper Time" with what looks like oil on canvas, and when you get close, you see the hand of the artist, really. I imagine Pippin building up the surface, the marks and textures adding a layer of depth. Look at the palette: warm browns, cool blues, and the whites of the laundry hanging out to dry. The woman in the bright blue dress seems to be setting the table, or maybe she's just pausing, caught between tasks. The paint is applied pretty thickly, which gives the scene a tactile presence. You can almost feel the weight of the moment, the quiet intimacy of a family meal. You know, painting is a conversation. Pippin was talking to other artists, maybe the folk artists who came before him, or maybe even the modernists who were exploring new ways of seeing. It's all connected, this back-and-forth across time and space. And now, we’re part of the conversation too.