Cramped 2022

Jason Limon made this painting, Cramped, sometime in the 20th century, and he uses paint in a way that feels like a conversation, a back-and-forth. Look at the texture he creates, how it feels both flat and like it's got depth. The skeleton and the box, they're not just images, they're built up with layers. See how the paint is kind of scrubbed on, especially in the background? It gives this sense of age, like you're looking at something that's been around for a while. It's like he's aging the painting in front of you. And there's that one tiny crack in the box, like a secret. All this reminds me a little of Philip Guston, you know? That same kind of playful darkness. It's like Limon is showing us that art is about more than just the final image; it's about the journey, the conversation, the messing around.