Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants 1940

Andre Masson made this painting, *Goethe or the metamorphosis of plants*, and the colors vibrate like they’re alive, with the ochres, blues, and yellows forming organic shapes that seem to grow right off the canvas. I imagine Masson standing there, brush in hand, coaxing these forms into being, almost like he's conducting an experiment, a conversation between his mind and the natural world. His Goethe is a kind of nature spirit, and his mind is overflowing with leaves and geometric forms. See how Masson uses thin washes of color and delicate lines? It’s like he’s inviting us into a secret garden of the mind, where ideas sprout and intertwine. I see the influence of the Surrealists, but also of other visionary painters, like Odilon Redon, who dreamt up strange botanical worlds. It all reminds me that artists are always in dialogue, remixing and reimagining each other’s ideas.