Les Tulipes Jaunes c. 1925

Frederick Carl Frieseke made "Les Tulipes Jaunes," a painting of yellow tulips and other flowers, at an unknown date with tools that really get the paint moving. It’s all about these short, choppy strokes, layering and overlapping colors, which gives the whole thing a lively, almost vibrating quality. I find myself focusing on the vase itself, with the little squiggles of color that suggest a pattern. It's like the painting is exhaling these tiny details, creating a real push and pull between the flat surface and the illusion of depth. The colors aren’t just laid down; they’re worked, worried, and coaxed into something luminous. Frieseke's obviously looking at people like Bonnard, where the subject is just a starting point for diving into color and light. It shows how the act of painting is an ongoing experiment, a way of seeing that's always questioning itself.