Three Veiled Figures 1933

Wyndham Lewis made "Three Veiled Figures" with visible brushstrokes, which are like clues to his process of making the painting. You can almost feel Lewis working, as the painting shifts and emerges through trial, error, and intuition. The figures are veiled, masked, and geometric. I imagine Lewis was thinking about the dehumanizing effects of modernity, or maybe he was interested in the geometric forms of Cubism. Either way, the figures feel both ancient and futuristic. The colours are warm and earthy: ochre, brown, and cream. They give the painting a sense of gravity and weight. I am particularly drawn to the figure on the left. I wonder if she knows that she is being looked at. The whole painting feels like a stage set for some kind of ritual or performance. It reminds me of some of Picasso's work from the 1920s. There is an ongoing conversation in art across time. Painting is like that, it is an embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.