The Joy Zone, paperback cover 1966

This paperback cover, "The Joy Zone," by Robert Maguire, probably from the mid-20th century, is such a mood! Just look at how the light falls across this figure, draped in a pale green cloth. You can almost feel the quick flicks of Maguire’s brush bringing her into being. Did he start with the eyes? I wonder. They're so expressive, with this sort of longing, vulnerability. You know, as a painter, you spend so much time coaxing a surface, trying to get the paint to do what you want, but also letting it lead you. And I can see the trace of that back-and-forth here. Look at the shadow, how it defines the shapes of the cushions and the figure, but it's not overworked. The blue cushion peeking from behind is an especially nice touch. Maguire was clearly part of a lineage. I’m sure he looked at pin-ups, but also at painters like Manet and Degas, with their own takes on the female form. Painting's always a conversation like that, artists talking to each other across time, inspiring each other to see, think, and feel in new ways.