Summer Afternoon 2000

Here we see Eyvind Earle's landscape of what might be a summer afternoon. Earle came of age in the wake of the Great Depression, and he would eventually become known for the backgrounds he painted for Disney films such as "Sleeping Beauty". With his stylized realism, Earle doesn't exactly reproduce a scene. Instead, he heightens the formal elements, streamlining our experience to the bold forms and colors that constitute it. By turning a landscape into blocks of color, Earle's composition evokes a sense of longing for an idealized and simplified past. The artist seems to present a space where the chaotic and sometimes brutal elements of American life could be kept at bay. In that sense, this landscape is not just a piece of scenery, but a vision of ordered beauty that offers viewers an escape. The striking composition invites us to consider the power of art to shape our perceptions and expectations.