Lemon Cake 1964

Wayne Thiebaud made this painting, Lemon Cake, by applying paint in a way that reminds me of frosting. The texture of the paint is so thick you can almost taste the sweetness. I love how he uses these luscious daubs of color to build up the form. The physical properties of the oil paint: the buttery strokes, the way he layers the yellow and white to give it that extra zing. The inside of the cake feels cool and calm, like a hidden, icy core. Look at the shadow, how it’s not just gray, but tinged with a kind of playful blue. That one little blueberry on top—like a tiny crown! It makes me think of Morandi, who also spent his life painting the same subjects again and again. There is a generosity to that kind of attention, a constant conversation with the world.