Summer Day 1939

Richard Sussman made this small painting, Summer Day, with an unknown medium on board. It's a really sweet little piece! I see a dog sleeping under a tree, and I love how Sussman used these washy colours, like he built up the image through layers of watercolour. I’m fascinated by the way the paint seems to float on the surface of the board. It gives the whole scene this dreamlike quality. Look how he's outlined the dog in the foreground, it's almost a golden shape, but it feels like a soft glow, like it's part of the landscape itself. The lines of the buildings are not quite straight and the tree seems to lean into the scene, as if the landscape itself is alive and breathing. You know, Sussman reminds me of Milton Avery, with the way he reduces the landscape to these simple, colourful shapes. But there's also something very personal about his art, like he's not just painting what he sees, but how he feels.