Beatrice 1911

Fedir Krychevsky made this painting of Beatrice sometime in the first half of the 20th century with oil on canvas. The way Krychevsky’s put down the paint is very direct, it’s like he’s almost sculpting with it! Look at the way the light hits the leaves in her hair, how the impasto, that thick, juicy paint, gives them form and weight. The colors are earthy, warm, and muted, and that gives the painting a kind of timeless quality, as though it existed outside of current trends, and just of itself. Then look how he’s left certain parts unresolved, like the background, which seems to dissolve into pure abstraction. It’s like Krychevsky’s saying, “Here’s what matters, here’s what I want you to see.” You know, it makes me think a little of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also had this knack for capturing the essence of a person with such tenderness and honesty. Art, it’s just artists talking to each other across time, isn’t it?