Francesca 1913

Joseph DeCamp painted "Francesca" with oil on canvas and what gets me is the painting’s soft focus. He’s really working with a muted palette of whites and grays and blues, allowing the painting to resolve only at a distance. Up close, you can see the brushstrokes. They're not trying to hide anything. The texture on her dress feels thick, almost sculptural, like DeCamp was really layering on the paint to capture the folds and shadows. Look at the way he suggests the form of the roses, all scrubby and blurred, but they still totally read as flowers! I love that he is letting the paint describe the process. It kind of reminds me of Whistler, but more generous. Like he wants to capture the beauty of Francesca, but he also wants to capture the beauty of painting itself. For DeCamp, it's all about embracing the messy, uncertain process of trying to see, and trying to show what you see.