Nymphs c. 1911

Maurice Denis made this drawing of nymphs at some point, though the specific date is lost to us. Look closely, and you'll see these soft, powdery marks, with the brown and white chalk giving form to these figures. Imagine Denis in his studio, rapidly sketching these forms, trying to catch something fleeting. I wonder what he was thinking about when he made this? Was he trying to capture the ideal form, or was he more interested in the play of light and shadow on the body? Those arms stretched upwards seem to yearn for something. The figure is both present and absent, a ghost in the making. For me, it's about the conversation across time. Denis was in conversation with the old masters and his own contemporaries. Every artist is in dialogue with those who came before, building upon their ideas, pushing against them, finding their own voice in the process. Ultimately, paintings are a process of finding, not knowing.