Harlequin 1965

Gino Severini made this painting called ‘Harlequin’ and it’s just so playful and full of movement, even though it's still. Severini’s got this great way of making marks. It’s like he's not trying to hide the process at all. You can see the brushstrokes, the layers of paint. Look at the harlequin’s costume; the diamond pattern seems to ripple like fabric caught in a breeze. Then there’s the way he uses color – those reds and blacks against the muted background, popping and creating this almost jazzy rhythm. The paint isn't too thick, which keeps the energy light and lively. I love the little dots sprinkled here and there, like confetti frozen mid-air. Severini was part of that Futurist movement, always trying to capture speed and the energy of modern life. You can see that in the way he breaks up the image into these dynamic shapes, almost like a collage, and it reminds me a bit of some of Picasso’s cubist paintings, though Severini’s got his own distinct flavor. It's all about embracing the joy of seeing, and the joy of not quite knowing exactly what you're looking at.