Untitled (River View) 1956

Jean Paul Lemieux made this painting, Untitled (River View), using oil on canvas. Look at how he’s built the scene, almost like a series of tonal layers. He’s used this restricted palette of greys, greens, and muted pinks to create a hazy atmosphere. The way he lays down the paint is interesting. It’s not about hiding the process; you can see each brushstroke, especially in the water’s reflection. There's this spot in the lower-left corner, where the trees meet the river. He hasn’t blended it perfectly, so you get these little glimpses of underpainting. It’s honest. And that honesty, that willingness to show the working, is what gives the painting its quiet power. It reminds me a bit of some of the later works of Philip Guston, although he's gone more into representation whereas Guston embraced abstraction. Ultimately, paintings are about showing us the world in ways we might not have noticed ourselves.