Spirit of the waters 1922

Hélène Guinepied made "Spirit of the waters" with paint, and probably ink, on paper. I like to imagine her in front of the paper, maybe on the floor, thinking about the landscape, how to make it come alive. She must have been thinking about the rhythms of the water. It’s all in these horizontal lines, like a musical score. It's intriguing, the way she uses those dark lines to give a sense of depth. Look at the colors, that limited palette—ochre, black, and a creamy white. And how she layers them to create texture. There's a real physicality to it, like she's wrestling with the medium to get it just right. I can see echoes of other artists in this painting. There's a touch of Japanese woodblock prints. Artists are always talking to each other, across time, picking up on ideas, and pushing them further. It's this ongoing conversation that keeps art alive.