John Blund 1927

Nils Dardel made this painting called ‘John Blund’ and, well, I just want to dive right into that blue. It's not even a color, it's like the feeling of color, you know? I think Dardel's work is all about moods, and he's really good at using simple colors to give you a feeling. I love the way the figure is presented, that simple palette, the boy holding what looks like a giant lightbulb! I can see he must have gone over and over certain areas, and maybe he even stepped back to consider it, changed his mind, repainted, scraped it off, repainted again. What was he thinking when he made it? Dardel makes it look so easy but it must have been so difficult! It makes me want to pick up a brush myself, you know? It reminds me of Matisse's cut-outs, how he tried to do as much as possible with as little as possible. It's like they're talking to each other. Isn't art just one big conversation?