Farvestudie efter Delacroixs maleri Dante og Vergil i underverdenen, Louvre 1930s

Edvard Weie made this watercolor study after Delacroix’s painting in the Louvre. It's all about color and form, as the title suggests. You know, when you copy a painting like this, it’s like you get to be the artist for a minute. You're tracing their moves. I can imagine Weie in front of the original, soaking it in, trying to figure out what makes it tick. Look at how the brown and blue swathes hover and support the image, while the pink and red shapes suggest other forms. It's cool how Weie simplifies Delacroix’s drama into these basic shapes and colors. There's a kind of honesty to it, like he’s getting to the bones of the thing. It's like he's saying, "Okay, Delacroix, I see what you’re doing. Now, let me try." And that's what painting is all about, right? We all stand on each other’s shoulders, learning and borrowing and pushing things forward.