Emma in a Purple Dress 1920 - 1923

George Bellows made this oil painting titled "Emma in a Purple Dress", and you can almost see him building up the figure, stroke by stroke. I can almost feel Bellows sympathizing with Emma as he paints, lost in thought, turning and returning to the form to find her essence. The dress is fascinating, and made up of so many gestures. There's a push-pull in the work between the details and the blending; some areas dissolve into soft focus while others are sharply defined. I see how the edges of the ruffled fabric are articulated with so much precision. I think Bellows learned from other artists and from looking at the work of others. The old masters are always whispering to new artists, pushing them forward, isn’t it? Painting’s like a conversation across time, a back-and-forth of ideas.