The Reader 1926

Juan Gris made this painting called ‘The Reader’ sometime around the mid 1920’s with oil on canvas. The thing that really strikes me about this painting is how Gris builds form out of flat planes, in such a way, the figure almost merges with the architecture. The window frame behind her echos her own shape, which is really amazing! Check out the Reader's right arm, which seems to extend out towards us, holding the book. It’s got this incredible tension between the solid and the see-through, which is really echoed in the rest of the painting. It makes you feel like you could fall right into it! I can also see some really interesting stuff happening in Picasso and Braque at this time. Ultimately, it’s about how you see – or, maybe, how you read – a painting. It's not just about what's there, but how it makes you feel and what it makes you think about.