Temptation 1910

Othon Friesz made this painting, Temptation, with oil on canvas and, right away, I notice the brushstrokes. They aren't trying to trick you into thinking this is real life, instead, you see the way the painting was made. Friesz uses color to make a space that feels both lush and kind of claustrophobic. All that green presses in. And look at the figures, daubed in thick paint, standing there in this garden, which feels like a stage set. Adam and Eve are these pale, almost ghostly figures, but the shadowy figure lurking behind them is painted in much darker tones. I’m drawn to the way Friesz doesn’t blend the colors. Each stroke feels separate, like a little decision. It reminds me of Matisse, but with a wilder, more unruly energy. Friesz isn't trying to give us answers, he's throwing us into the middle of the story and letting us figure it out.