Twilight

A small grove of trees stands silhouetted against a sky ablaze with color in this vivid landscape, "Twilight." The painting captures the dramatic moment when the sun dips below the horizon, bathing the scene in diffuse light. You can almost feel the last warmth of the day as intense oranges, reds, and yellows bleed into a deep blue, a palette that recalls the exuberant color of the French Fauves. The artist applied bold streaks of pigment with fluid brushstrokes, drawing attention to the paint's texture and creating a dynamic surface. This work, from around 1926, reflects a desire to define a modernist approach to painting, inspiring praise from Harlem Renaissance author Alain Locke for its "warm beauty" of color. It captures a specific quality of light that artists and photographers often call the "blue hour," a time when shadows disappear and objects take on a striking silhouette.