Le Pont D’un Transat 1925

Juan Gris made this gouache painting, titled 'Le Pont D’un Transat', in 1925. This painting makes me think of the way you start a painting, like you’re stepping onto the deck of a ship that’s heading out to sea. I love how Gris uses these translucent colors, almost like overlapping paper, to build up this cruise ship scene. The way he layers color creates a sense of depth. The colors are so light, thin, and watery, that the ship almost looks like it could dissolve into the ocean, and the clouds above. It's as if the whole scene is in motion! Focus on the rope coiling in the foreground, it looks like one fluid line which moves through the scene, and it’s got this casual energy, like a gesture in paint. Like Matisse, Gris knew that the casual is a kind of formal grace. It reminds me of some of Léger’s paintings from the same period. Gris has this way of embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations, inviting us to join the conversation.