Washington, D.C. 23.7.93: Angelic Messages and Green Shutters

At Barnes Exhibit, National Gallery of Art: Van Gogh, “Joseph Etienne Roulin, 1889,” is van Gogh himself—red eyes staring out frankly, the unappreciated artist, with a stylized iconographic background moving from yellow-green to yellow, with flowers and flourishes—the angelic message is the artist’s reward.

Picasso, “Acrobat and Young Harlequins” (1905): and so another harlequin to add to my imaginative collection of that fascinating image . . . .

The Matisses: the great surprise. Color used to idealize rooms “decorated” as an ideal statement of how life should be—people bleeding green light, decked in garish colors no one can even possibly imagine, sitting in rooms suffused by lavender light through green shutters.