Dancer in Pigalle 1912

Gino Severini made Dancer in Pigalle with oil paint, maybe sometime in the early 20th century. The whole thing feels like an explosion of movement, doesn't it? I'm really drawn to the way Severini layers these transparent washes of color, like a watercolor but with oil. Look at the lower section, how these brushstrokes build up these earthy, reddish tones. You can almost feel the energy of the space, the dancer moving in and out of focus. And then there are these little details, like the dots and dashes scattered around like confetti. It reminds me of a collage, like he's layering different experiences on top of each other. Severini was hanging out with other artists like Boccioni and Balla, who also were obsessed with capturing movement and time. This painting is not about capturing something that already exists; it's about making something new that has never been seen before.