The Artist and His Model 1986

Corneille made “The Artist and His Model” in 1986, and I imagine it came into being through layers of opaque paint, maybe acrylic. The dark background really makes the figures pop! The artist and his muse are depicted in a simplified manner; the artist almost hidden, the model bearing gifts of fruit, or perhaps the fruit of their collaboration? I wonder what Corneille was thinking as he made this. I can imagine that painting this he felt a sense of freedom, in his brushstrokes, his depiction of figures. It reminds me a bit of Picasso and Matisse; those guys knew how to bend reality to their will! I’m struck by how the red flower in her hair is echoed by the red fruit in her hands. There’s a sense of playful ambiguity in this painting, like a conversation between color, form, and emotion. It's nice to see how artists inspire each other across time and space.