Peonies 1926

Georges Braque made "Peonies" with oil on canvas, and right away, what hits me is the beautiful, almost clumsy, way he handles paint. It’s like he’s feeling his way through the subject, not trying to nail it, but letting the painting process itself be visible. Look closely, and you’ll see the paint is thick in some spots, thin in others, like he’s wiping it on and off. The colors are muted, earthy, but then you get these pops of orange and those deep indigos. It’s like he’s building up the image layer by layer. Check out how he uses these dashes of white to create volume in the drapery in front of the vase - they’re so gestural! It reminds me of Matisse, who was also obsessed with capturing the essence of a thing rather than a perfect likeness. Braque wasn't interested in photorealism; he wanted to capture the feeling of being in the room with those flowers, with the table, with the whole scene, and that, to me, is what makes it sing.