Tree in the City 1963

Gandy Brodie made this painting, Tree in the City, with oil paint, though when exactly remains a mystery. It's a moody piece, all grays and blues and browns, as if the city itself is a character shrouded in a perpetual twilight. Look closely, and you'll see how Brodie layers the paint, thick and crusty in some spots, almost like the bark of a tree, and thin and transparent in others, like the hazy city air. It's hard to tell exactly what kind of tools he used, maybe just a palette knife to smear and scrape the paint. Right in the middle of the canvas is this surprising flash of yellow that feels like a light and a glow. It's a total contrast to the darkness around it. It's as if Brodie is showing us that even in the midst of urban gloom, there's still a spark of life, a flicker of hope. Thinking about painters who explored the urban landscape with a similar kind of raw energy, I'm reminded of someone like Leon Kossoff, who found beauty in the everyday grit of the city. Art is a conversation that continues, constantly reshaping the way we see and experience the world around us.