Pisces 2019

Camilla d’Errico made this painting, Pisces, sometime in the 20th century, using what looks like dreamy watercolor. I can just imagine d’Errico bent over this piece, coaxing these watery blues into being. There’s such a beautiful fluidity, like the paint itself is alive, dripping and swirling, becoming hair, becoming a river, becoming… fish! I love how she merges the figure with the watery element, so the boundaries between girl and water become totally blurred. Notice how d'Errico uses these drips to connect the head to the hands, and suggest the flow of feeling, the way emotions spill over. The palette is mostly cool, but then there are these moments of warmth, like little sparks of orange and yellow that add to the overall dreamy atmosphere. Painters are always looking at each other, learning from each other, and pushing the conversation forward, and this piece feels like a wonderful contribution. It makes you think, what can painting do? How can it capture something so elusive and ephemeral, like a feeling or a dream?