The Man in the Street 1940

Paul Delvaux made "The Man in the Street" with oil on canvas, but I can't tell you exactly when. Delvaux’s touch here is almost dry, as though he's gently coaxing color across the canvas. The palette is restrained, almost muted, as if the paint itself is whispering secrets. I find myself drawn to the contrast between the soft, almost ethereal treatment of the female figures and the sharply defined, almost cartoonish rendering of the man reading his newspaper. See how his suit is a flat block of color? And the way the newsprint renders text as a series of abstract marks? It reminds me a little of Giorgio de Chirico. Both were interested in juxtaposing incongruous elements and creating a sense of unease and displacement. But while de Chirico's paintings often have a cold, architectural quality, Delvaux's work has a softer, more dreamlike feel, as if he’s inviting us to wander into the uncanny valleys of our own subconscious.