A Chinesa 1922

Anita Malfatti’s 'A Chinesa' is a painting made with oil on canvas that dives headfirst into the realm of subjective interpretation. I love the way she balances the formal elements; how the textures are built up with these expressive brushstrokes, raw and immediate, giving you this sense that the painting is more than just a visual representation, it's a record of the artist's process, a kind of physical manifestation of her thoughts and feelings. Look at the way Malfatti handles color; her palette is bold but harmonious. There's this incredible passage where she uses a kind of scumbling to depict the folds and creases of the sitter's robe and the shadows cast across her lap. The effect is almost sculptural, as if the figure is emerging from the depths of the canvas. The emotional resonance of this painting is profound. Like, think of Kirchner, or some of Matisse’s less obviously pretty paintings. It’s about the ongoing conversation that art has, from one artist to another, over the years. In art, ambiguity is a virtue, and maybe the most interesting things are the things we can never quite put our finger on.