Painting description

The painting is immersed in a soft haze of ochre and umber; on a slanting hillside, two elongated figures in greatcoats. They spread their arms and release diamond-shaped kites, the sky smooth as velour, slightly smoky. The composition is led by the diagonal of the slope and the rhythm of tiny figures in the background. You can see broad brushstrokes, thin glazes and soft sfumato; the texture is sometimes rough and a little uneven—and that’s good. An atmosphere of half-dream and warm humor, a touch weightless and easygoing. The kites fly high and I want to run like that too. It’s poetic realism with a hint of fairy tale, the proportions distorted—and it works. I feel calm and a pang of longing, as if the wind were saying, go back to being a child, though it’s about to blow your cap off.