There isn’t really much going on in this painting. It feels like a still life, yet unlike still lifes of plants or solo animals, this seems a bit elevated in that it’s a bit more of a “scene” than simply a still life. It has the quality of feeling “staged” which is what most skillful artists do; everything present feels like it has a purpose.
As for the fuzzy/furry effect, that would most likely be attributed to Weir’s brushstroke which portrays not only dogs and carpet with a “furry” look, but even the background walls and the objects. What appear to be a dog bowl and dog bath also imply that these dogs are well cared for — it may seem like a small thing, but what the conscious mind does not necessarily focus on, the subconscious is always aware of.
The low field of vision (being so close to the floor) without much advancing headspace also seems to remind the view of a time when we were young and thus on the level with the puppies.
|| JULIAN ALDEN WEIR’S “FIRESIDE DREAMS”
