Andre Gide at Jersey 1907

Theo van Rysselberghe painted “Andre Gide at Jersey,” in a style that feels like he dashed it off, plein air, in front of his subject. I see how he’s playing with these tiny strokes, almost like he’s knitting with paint. You can tell Rysselberghe is really having a go at capturing the light, figuring out how to get it just right. He is laying down pure colour, letting the viewer's eye do the blending – isn't that amazing? The painting feels loose but controlled, and there is an attentiveness to colour. I can imagine Van Rysselberghe stepping back, squinting, then dabbing at the canvas again, trying to capture the essence of Gide, maybe even a moment of mutual recognition or understanding between the two. And that mustache! It's like another character in the painting. Painters are always looking at each other’s work, borrowing, reacting. We take from those who came before, and hopefully, we add something new to the conversation.