Cocoteros en la playa 1926

Armando Reveron made Cocoteros en la playa in 1924 using, it seems, a very limited palette. The canvas looks as though it was prepared with thin layers of white and pale colour, like a ground waiting for something to happen. The image is built up of small marks, delicate scribbles, and hatching. The paint is thin and was most likely applied with small brushes and rags. Look closely and you’ll notice the artist has allowed the weave of the canvas to show through. The whole painting shimmers in a kind of hazy half-light. The longer I look, the more indistinct the image becomes, as though my eyes are adjusting to bright sunlight. The composition reminds me a little of Impressionism, especially the work of Camille Pissarro, but Reveron brings something else to the mix, a raw energy and a sense of place. I guess the most important thing, as always, is to look at the image and let it mess with your mind.