Dawn of the Town 1940

Paul Delvaux painted "Dawn of the Town," sometime in the 20th century with oils on a large canvas. What's striking is the smooth, almost airbrushed finish, it’s like he's trying to conceal his process. The materiality here is fascinating; the paint seems thin, carefully layered to create a dreamlike, surreal atmosphere. The palette is muted, with blues and creams dominating, yet the occasional ochre catches the light and gives a flash of warmth. Look at the way the ochre cloth drapes off of the figure, and pools on the ground, it's a little pool of light. I see echoes of Giorgio de Chirico in Delvaux's work, both artists create unsettling, dreamlike spaces that challenge our perception of reality. It's this openness to ambiguity, this refusal to be pinned down, that makes Delvaux's work so compelling.