La soeur de la Violette 1957

André Lanskoy made 'La soeur de la Violette' with oil paint, probably sometime mid-century. He really went for it with a palette knife, or maybe a big brush, layering on the purples and violets so thickly it almost feels like you could dive right in. I love how the surface is so textured, almost like he's sculpting with paint. See how the light catches those little peaks and valleys? There's this juicy interplay between the solid forms and the fluid medium. The strokes are confident, each one a decision, a little world of color. And that red mark down at the bottom! It's like a tiny rebel, a burst of energy against the cool purples. It reminds me a bit of Joan Mitchell's color sense, that fearlessness, but with Lanskoy, there’s a more playful, almost whimsical touch. It’s a conversation across time, you know, artists riffing off each other, pushing the boundaries of what paint can do.