The Carpathian Woman 1957

Victor Brauner made "The Carpathian Woman" in 1957 using what looks like crayon or pastel on paper. I can almost feel the texture just by looking. It reminds me a little of Picasso. There's a geometric sensibility to the composition, with the face and head broken up into different colored blocks: yellow, green, brown. I wonder if Brauner worked on this intuitively, letting the colors and shapes guide him. The eyes are so small, but they're the focal point. They remind me a bit of folk art. He’s playing with the contrast between the flat planes of color and the illusion of depth. I’m left thinking about all the artists throughout time who have tried to capture the essence of a person, and how each one brings their own unique vision and style to the conversation.