The Social Hour c. 1950

Edwin Georgi gave us this scene, The Social Hour, with paint and, I'm guessing, a whole lotta feeling. Looking at this, I imagine Georgi, brush in hand, trying to nail that perfect balance of glamour and ennui. See how those greens in the background are just a hair away from clashing with the greens in the couch? And the pinks and reds fighting it out on the lips and jewels? I bet he reworked those faces a bunch of times, chasing that mix of confidence and boredom in their eyes. That’s the stuff that makes a painting sing, right? There’s a back and forth here between control and letting go, between what he wants to say and what the painting decides to say. It makes me think about how we’re always wrestling with our materials, trying to get them to do what we want, but also listening to what they have to tell us. It’s all one big conversation anyway, artists talking to each other across time.