Dans La Rue, Paris 1929

Archibald Motley painted "Dans La Rue, Paris" with visible brushstrokes that capture a busy street scene. Imagine the scene coming into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Motley. What must it have been like to stand in that bustling Parisian street, trying to capture the energy? The paint looks thin and was layered to achieve the final image. Motley's brushstrokes communicate a sense of movement, and his use of color adds to the vibrancy of the scene. See how he has rendered a single sweeping line to suggest the curvature of the road. He's working in a similar territory to other painters of modern life, but with his own take on colour. Artists are always in conversation, inspiring one another across time. Painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.