Portrait of a Chamorro Woman - Blue 1934

Paul Jacoulet made this portrait of a Chamorro Woman in tones of blue, focusing on the patterns of the fabric, which appear to be screen printed or stenciled. I can imagine Paul patiently layering each colour, building up the image bit by bit. You get a sense of his fascination with the graphic potential of a design, how a single motif can be repeated and transformed, creating a dance of visual rhythms across the picture plane. It's almost like he's playing a game himself, arranging and rearranging these elements. I wonder if he knew that he was participating in the centuries-long conversation about decoration? The one that preoccupies painters to this day? The woman in the portrait is, herself, gambling! Maybe playing cards with a friend, maybe for very high stakes. I love the idea of an artist embedding a painting with an ongoing conversation about risk, chance and reward. All of that work with a brush or a printing press, and then who knows if it's any good?