oh… how I love you 2020

Martine Johanna made this painting called “oh… how I love you” sometime in the 20th century, and she built it up with layers of oil paint. Look at how the smooth surface gives a dream-like feel, almost like a memory. Notice how the bright red of the woman’s clothes contrasts with the soft pastels of the carousel horse, creating a visual push and pull. The fine brushwork creates a glossy, porcelain-like surface, almost as if the figures have been preserved in time. The way the woman's hands cradle the horse, tenderly but firmly, is a study in the power of touch. It reminds me of the intimate portraits of Alice Neel, who, like Johanna, captured the emotional intensity of her subjects through color and form, and made it her own. Art is like an ongoing conversation, isn’t it? There's always something new to say, and always a fresh way to see.