The Artist's Mother 1925

Dobri Dobrev painted his mother, using oils, in a muted palette of greens, grays, and blues. It’s a tender, quiet portrayal. I can imagine Dobrev carefully building up the layers, trying to capture her likeness and spirit. I wonder what it was like for him to paint his own mother? What thoughts went through his mind as he mixed each color and applied each brushstroke? The way he’s painted her hands, resting gently, suggests a lifetime of work and care. Look at the texture of the paint; you can almost feel the weight of the medium on the canvas. There's a connection here to other figurative painters - like Alice Neel. Painters are always in dialogue with one another across time, riffing off each other’s ideas. Painting’s an embodied expression; there’s no single interpretation, only a conversation.