July Interior 1964

Fairfield Porter made July Interior with paint, probably oils, sometime in the mid 20th century. It’s full of these flat, kind of chalky colors, like he mixed everything with white, and they make the whole scene feel calm and still. Look how Porter builds up the scene with simple, rectangular blocks of color. The pinks of the curtains against the leafy greens outside, or the white and red stripes of the table cloth, they give the image a solid, sturdy feel, but the execution remains loose. See how his face is smudged, soft. He’s not trying to capture every detail, just the essence. Porter’s work reminds me a little of Alex Katz, particularly in his use of light and color to evoke a mood. But where Katz is all cool detachment, Porter feels warmer, more intimate. Both artists show us that painting is about seeing, feeling, and finding new ways to capture the world around us.