José van Gool’s paintings of impressionist inspirations are playful,
rich, and sometimes mournful gestures of a seductive world. The human figure, alone or existing with others, is the central force of each canvas. At times, the figures contrast sharply with the warm, misty backgrounds they are set against, and in other paintings, they melt into these backgrounds, seemingly absorbed. There is little notion of outside disturbances in the compositions. Instead, they dwell in self-contained worlds, nourished by color, comforting and sweetly strange to the viewer who studies them.