From the Boardwalk 1936

Yasuo Kuniyoshi made "From the Boardwalk" with charcoal on paper, and what I notice right away is this smoky atmosphere, like the scene is emerging from a haze. It’s all about process, right? Look at the way Kuniyoshi uses charcoal, smudging and layering to create this sense of depth. It's amazing to see how texture, color, surface, and the physicality of the medium shape our emotional experience. The woman in the foreground is so present, drawn with decisive lines and strong shading. Then there's that figure in the background, almost dissolving into the light, it is as if she is fading into memory. Kuniyoshi’s got a similar feel to someone like Milton Avery, who also played with these hazy, dreamlike scenes. Art is a conversation, a back-and-forth across time. It’s not about one fixed idea, but all the possible ways of seeing.