Portrait of Milka Peykova 1961

Georgi Kovachev made this portrait of Milka Peykova and it's all about these bold strokes of brown, black, and orange. I can imagine him standing there, brush in hand, trying to capture something real about Milka. What was she thinking when she sat for him? How do you paint the essence of a person? The orange background feels alive, almost vibrating, which makes me think about the energy between the artist and his model. Kovachev really lays the paint down, you can almost feel the texture. Look at the dark strokes that define her hair - so sure, so direct. It’s like he’s not just painting what he sees, but what he feels. Painters, we're all looking, borrowing, stealing, paying homage. Each brushstroke is part of this huge conversation across time. It’s not about getting it ‘right’, but about finding something true in the act of painting itself.