Carmel Cypress 1989

Eyvind Earle, who painted backdrops for Disney, created this image of a Carmel Cypress with gouache or maybe acrylic, though it's hard to tell for sure. Look at how he renders the trunk of the tree. He's not trying to trick you into thinking it's real, it's more like a cartoon version with hard edges, yet the gradations of the purple are so elegant and the forms are really seductive. He wants you to feel the tree, not just look at it. The whole picture is like that: flat shapes and clean lines making up this incredible scenery that is really about the feeling of being in nature, more than a picture of nature. Earle reminds me a little of Milton Avery, another painter who wasn't afraid to make things up to make them feel more true. Ultimately, Earle’s simplification isn’t about being simple, but about finding new ways to tap into the sublime.