Portrait of Grandmother 1922

Archibald Motley rendered this striking portrait of his grandmother with oils on a canvas that's a little over a foot tall. I can imagine Motley standing before the easel, mixing those muted grays and browns, layering them to capture the light on her face. The paint looks applied in thin, transparent washes, allowing the canvas texture to peek through, especially in the background. It’s not about hiding the brushstrokes here; it's more like letting the touch linger. Her hands, clasped in front, are rendered with such care. The lines and wrinkles, each one tells a story. And that heart-shaped brooch—a small, dark focal point against the white of her blouse—feels like a little wink from Motley, a hidden message about love and family. When you think about someone painting someone they love, the painting becomes infused with a sense of tenderness. You can see it in the way Motley has attended to all these details. It reminds me of the portraits by Alice Neel or Fairfield Porter, where the artist's personal connection to the subject really shines through. There’s this intimate conversation happening across time, between artists, between generations, between the artist and his grandmother, and now between us and the painting.