Fog Light 1990

Eyvind Earle made "Fog Light" using what looks like thin layers of paint. It’s not about globs and slabs, but about building up the image with precision. I imagine Earle out in the landscape, squinting at the light, trying to figure out how to make fog look real, and the light behind the fog... Those thin, misty brushstrokes almost feel like rain on the canvas, or maybe tears welling up, a kind of emotional weather. I can imagine the painterly decisions made here, how each stroke builds into an image, how the silhouettes of trees are placed, and the lines defining the edge of the mountain. The dramatic, almost graphic quality of the image really sets it apart from other landscape painters. It's a unique vision of the American landscape and its dramatic weather. It reminds us that artists are always talking to each other, across time, and sparking new ideas.