Le soleil du dimanche 1954

Felix Labisse painted “Le soleil du dimanche,” or “Sunday Sun,” with oil on canvas, and what strikes me first is its dreamlike quality. I can almost feel Labisse standing before the canvas, coaxing this image into being, layer by layer. The smooth gradient sky, the vast stretch of the desert, the floating horse head; it all feels so meticulously painted, but with an air of surrealism. What was he thinking, I wonder, as he blended those blues and browns? The horse’s closed eyes give it a sense of peace, but the jagged red line makes me feel uneasy. You know, that’s where a painting really sings; these contradictory feelings and impressions. It reminds me of Magritte and de Chirico. Artists are always talking to one another, across time, space, and even style. Painting is a language that’s not set. It's this open-ended conversation, always open to possibilities.