Violet Tree and Barn 1975

Eyvind Earle painted ‘Violet Tree and Barn’ with what looks like gouache, resulting in smooth, opaque surfaces. It’s a dance between bold shapes and subtle color shifts, like a stained-glass window hit by the winter sun. The flat areas of color are really what get me. It’s like Earle is thinking about form and space in terms of planes, not volumes. The way the violet fades into the black of the tree’s trunk, it’s almost like looking at a Rothko, but one that’s decided to dress up and go for a walk in the woods. Look closely at the negative space formed by the branches against the sky. It’s as crucial as the branches themselves. I can’t help but think of Milton Avery, but Earle’s got this graphic punch that’s all his own. What I love about art is how these conversations keep unfolding, each artist borrowing, twisting, and shouting across time.