Neapolitan Cupcakes 2008

Wayne Thiebaud made this painting of three cupcakes with oil on canvas. Looking at the surfaces, I can imagine the artist layering the paint, building up the creamy frosting with thick, luscious strokes. What do you think he was thinking about when he painted them? Maybe he was thinking about formal arrangements of color and shape. He was definitely looking at how light hits a surface. I am very fond of the way he's used color to convey a sense of weight and form, while the repetitive nature of the composition reminds me a little bit of Warhol. This painting is one of many still life compositions that Thiebaud made. Like Morandi, he knew the value of taking something simple and spending hours looking at it. Artists, you know, we're always having a conversation with each other across time.