Great Star Media – The Outsider 2020

Owen Gent made this mysterious image, “The Outsider,” sometime in the 20th Century using what looks like soft, muted acrylics or maybe gouache. The limited color palette really sets the tone: peachy sand, faded teal sky, and the shadowy figure of the outsider himself. You get the sense that the artist has built up the image slowly, layering colors to create a grainy effect. The paint here is applied in thin washes. Look at the subtle blending of the peach and teal in the water, achieved by soft brushstrokes. It feels like a memory, a dreamscape rather than a literal depiction. And then there's the figure – almost fading into the background, rendered with a hazy, indistinct quality. Gent's marks are not about precision. They are about creating atmosphere. This piece reminds me of Milton Avery, who was a master of simplified forms and atmospheric color. Like Avery, Gent uses a minimalist approach to evoke a feeling of melancholy and contemplation. Both artists understood that sometimes, the most powerful statements are made through suggestion rather than explicit detail.