Acrobats in Paris 1924

Gosta Adrian-Nilsson made this painting, Acrobats in Paris, with oil on canvas. What strikes me is how the colour seems to build up from warm browns to cooler greens and blues. It’s this layered quality that makes the image so compelling. You can almost feel the texture of the paint, thick in some areas, like around the figures’ faces, and thinner in the background, where the buildings seem to dissolve into the night. The palette is quite limited, mostly earth tones, but look how Adrian-Nilsson coaxes so much variety from it. There's a real sense of depth. The painting reminds me a little of Fernand Léger, especially in its use of simplified forms and its interest in urban life. But Adrian-Nilsson brings his own unique sensibility to the subject, one that's both playful and mysterious. For me, this piece is an ongoing conversation between forms, colors, and feelings.