Portrait of Paul Valery (1871-1945) 1923

Jacques-Émile Blanche painted this portrait of Paul Valery, and what strikes me is its open-ended quality; it feels like Blanche is thinking through paint. Look at the way Blanche uses the brush, the paint application is both considered and relaxed. The dark and serious colour palette gives an overall impression of a sombre mood, but within this, there are brighter, almost iridescent highlights. The textures are thick in places, particularly around the face, where the layering of paint gives depth and character to Valery's features. Then there are thin washes of colour elsewhere, especially in the background, which feel unresolved. The gold ring on Valery’s finger is a tiny detail, but it adds a note of elegance to the composition. The way Blanche contrasts these small details with the looseness of the broader painting reminds me of Manet’s portraits, they both have a similar lightness of touch. Ultimately, it’s the painting’s unfinished quality that’s so interesting; it leaves space for us, as viewers, to complete it ourselves.