Liz Taylor 1993

Marlene Dumas made this watercolor called "Liz Taylor" sometime in the nineties, probably in her studio, using paper and brushes. The way Dumas uses watercolor is so immediate and unforgiving. It’s all about the flow, how the pigment bleeds and settles. See how she’s built up the density around the eyes and the hair? It’s like she's coaxing the image out of the shadows. And look at the mouth – that hesitant line suggesting so much with so little. It's as if she's painting the idea of Liz Taylor, not just the face. Dumas reminds me of Goya, actually, in her unflinching gaze. Both artists share an interest in depicting people stripped bare, beyond the surface, to reveal something essential about the human condition. It's never just about likeness, it’s about truth, or something like it.