Lisbon (Portugal christmas card to Harold Weston) 1963

Carlos Botelho made this Christmas card to Harold Weston in Lisbon, probably with watercolors. Look how the artist’s hand moved, almost like a dance, creating soft washes of color. I can imagine Botelho standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture the essence of the city. He uses thin layers of paint to build up the forms, one over the other, like how memories accumulate over time. It reminds me a bit of Raoul Dufy's watercolors but with a slightly different sensibility. See how he's laid down these marks? Some are tentative and light, others are bold and decisive, but all together evoke the light and energy of the city. I wonder what Weston thought when he opened this card? Painters are always talking to one another across time. Each gesture is a form of expression, loaded with feeling, with the intention to communicate. It's this ongoing conversation that makes painting such a vital and endlessly fascinating art form.