Cotyo, Perfica, Volupie 1963

Felix Labisse made this painting, Cotyo, Perfica, Volupie, with oil on canvas. Look at how these figures seem to emerge so smoothly from the blue depths. The paint is blended to the point where brushstrokes almost disappear, creating this luminous, almost surreal quality. I'm drawn to the way the figures are draped; the fabric folds feel so precise, almost architectural, which is unexpected and slightly unsettling. The hands, particularly those draped over the hips, are so deliberate, as if placed there to accentuate a sense of both modesty and sensuality. Each gesture and curve seems carefully constructed, it's almost like watching a slow, deliberate performance unfold. This piece reminds me a bit of Balthus, in the way that both artists explore the tension between innocence and eroticism, but Labisse has his own thing going. In art, it's never about copying, it's about listening to each other, and answering back with your own voice.