Lucky Bag Girl 1910

Here's a painting of a woman, made by J.C. Leyendecker with what looks like watercolor. The first thing I notice are these delicate strokes, almost like the artist is caressing the surface. You can see how he's built up the image layer by layer, especially around her face, creating this incredible luminosity. I imagine Leyendecker thinking about all those magazine covers he did, trying to capture something new. Maybe he was experimenting with a lighter touch, letting the watercolor bleed and blend to capture this fleeting moment. Notice how he's not afraid to let the white of the paper show through, adding to the overall sense of lightness and airiness. Her eyes are so arresting. Painters are always talking to each other, whether they know it or not. Leyendecker probably took cues from all sorts of people, and it shows. It's all about the process of seeing and making, and how a painting can come into being through trial, error, and intuition. It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?