Tree in the City 1963

Gandy Brodie must have made this expressionistic painting ‘Tree in the City’ with thick layers of oil paint in an intuitive way. I imagine him layering blues and ochres, scratching into the surface, and then adding more paint. There’s a palpable sense of loneliness here. The dark palette and the bare tree, almost like scaffolding, suggest a stark, urban environment. I wonder if Brodie felt like an outsider in the city, much like this tree. The way the paint is applied, thick and almost crude, conveys a raw emotion. It's as if Brodie is wrestling with his feelings, trying to capture a fleeting moment of isolation and resilience. The tree isn’t idealized; it’s presented as a survivor amidst the built environment. This reminds me of Soutine’s landscapes, where the emotional intensity of the brushstrokes transforms the scene into a psychological space. It's a reminder that painting is never just about representation; it's about the artist’s dialogue with the world.