Dance Mask 1935 - 1942

Joseph Coyle made this drawing of a dance mask, and, for me, the process feels very present. There is an openness here, the mask hovers on the page, with delicate lines and translucent color washes. The texture of the paper is visible, the way the paint interacts with its surface, bleeding slightly, adds to the image's feeling of immediacy. The palette is restricted, centered around red, black, and white, colors that emphasize the mask's graphic quality. Look at the area around the eyes, the way Coyle layers the black lines to create depth, the use of contrasting shapes and textures; you get the feeling that this is an artist who is thinking through making, adjusting, and refining as he goes. I wonder if he knew Paul Klee? I see a similar sensitivity to line and form, where the conceptual meets the intuitive. Ultimately, art's not about answers, it's about embracing the questions.