Female figure in blue and pink 2003

Edwin Austin Abbey made this drawing of a female figure in blue and pink. It’s on paper, but it almost looks like fabric. The strokes of colour are more like touches, the way you might stipple on makeup. It's the type of drawing that makes me feel the artist feeling the paper, working with the colour, and not feeling separate from it. I think this piece might have come about when Abbey was working on illustrations for a Shakespeare play, since it seems to hint at that late 19th century sensibility. Her dress is amazing. It has these huge puff sleeves that give her a bold presence, even though she is looking away from us. The blue and pink hues are not just colours here. They are moods. They remind me of a hazy, melancholic day. But somehow, the woman’s gaze, her posture, hints at a sense of hope. The beauty of paintings is in their capacity to do this, speak to each other, and inspire ideas across time.