Autoportrait au grand col 1941

Léonor Fini created this self-portrait with oil paint, and it's a symphony of earth tones. Imagine her standing before the canvas, brush in hand, coaxing this image out of thin air. The painting feels like it came into being through trial, error, and intuition. I sympathize with Fini. I imagine her thinking about the texture of the paint itself and how it can communicate so much. See how the paint is thinly layered, almost translucent in places, allowing the light to pass through and illuminate the canvas beneath. There's a particular gesture in the way she’s captured her own gaze. It is steady and unflinching, which communicates a sense of self-assurance and inner strength. I feel like I am in dialogue with her, a conversation across time and space. Artists are always in conversation, picking up where others leave off, inspiring one another's creativity. Painting embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations and meanings.