Mirri Mustassa Puvussa 1911

Tyko Sallinen made this portrait of Mirri, using oil on canvas, and it’s a great example of how a painting can be both a likeness and an abstraction. The palette is muted, a sort of off-key harmony of pinks, yellows, and blues, and the brushwork is direct, almost impatient. Look at the way Sallinen builds up the face with these quick, gestural strokes; it's like he's sculpting with paint. The background is a flurry of white and blue, energetic strokes that seem to push the figure forward, and if you look closely at the black dress, you'll see it’s not just black but a mix of dark hues, adding depth. There’s a certain rawness in Sallinen's work that reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker. Like her, he wasn’t afraid to leave the marks of his process visible, embracing the imperfections and celebrating the materiality of paint. It's this honesty, this willingness to let the process be seen, that gives the painting its power and makes it so compelling to look at.