Portrait Maria Gubler 1950

Curator: Ah, yes, Max Gubler’s “Portrait Maria Gubler,” dating back to 1950. A really beautiful, quite expressionistic painting. Editor: It is! It’s rendered in oil, and I think there is an undeniable quietness in this painting. What story does it tell, in your view? Curator: Well, you know, looking at it now, it's less about a 'story' and more about an *experience*. Maria is pensive, perhaps lost in thought. Gubler's brushstrokes are so raw; each dab of paint feels like a feeling made visible. Do you notice how the light seems to pool in certain areas, almost cradling her face? Editor: Yes! Especially around her eyes, it's really striking. I was wondering about the bold choices around the shoulders, very angular and expressive, while her face is gentle. Was he experimenting here? Curator: Absolutely, he was always pushing the boundaries, wasn't he? Gubler walked a tightrope between representation and something altogether more internal. He wasn't simply painting *what* he saw but *how* he saw and felt Maria. And this during a very complex period of the 20th century. It speaks to a kind of quiet resilience. Almost a tenderness for the subject in the work. What do you make of that tenderness, if I may ask? Editor: It adds a really intimate layer to the painting. I initially perceived sadness, but you're right – there’s definitely a fondness there, maybe tinged with melancholy. I wonder if something happened around that time... Curator: Precisely! Art isn't created in a vacuum. It is usually as complicated as the circumstances surrounding it! We may never know all the whys and wherefores but pondering them definitely adds another rewarding layer, doesn't it? Editor: It definitely does. I think I appreciate the work much more after hearing your thoughts on it!