July Interior 1964

Fairfield Porter made this tender, intimate interior painting with a relatively pared-down palette, mostly variations on white, pink and brown. I wonder what it’s like being the artist, waking up in bed, seeing this slice of everyday life. Painting is a process of inquiry, and here, Porter seems to be asking himself what it feels like to simply be present in this moment. The brushwork is casual, and the paint is applied in thin layers, which allows for a kind of transparency and lightness. It’s like he’s trying to capture the feeling of a lazy summer morning. The little strokes of pink that make up the curtains, for instance— they’re not trying too hard to describe every detail, but instead suggesting a mood. It’s always interesting to see how painters like Porter borrow from each other across time, continuing an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas. We are reminded that painting is a form of embodied expression, open to endless interpretations.