The Dispute 1904

Nasreddine Dinet created this painting of two children, probably in his studio, sometime around 1900. I find myself thinking, what were they fighting about, really? Look at their faces, all scrunched up with anger and concentration! You know, making a painting can be a bit like a dispute, you start out with one idea, then the painting pushes back. The colors don't want to mix the way you thought, the brushstrokes look clumsy. It's a struggle! But that struggle, that back-and-forth, is what makes it interesting. You can see that Dinet is interested in the light, the way it falls on their skin and clothes, turning everything into these soft, warm tones. He's not trying to make it perfect, but to capture a moment, a feeling. And that's what paintings do. They’re records of thought, feeling, and action, made visible through the magic of paint.