Dresdner Frauen-Karla 1990

This imposing yellow sculpture by Georg Baselitz, titled Dresdner Frauen-Karla, really throws down the gauntlet on what it means to make a portrait. The way Baselitz attacks the wood feels almost violent, but there is something deeply satisfying in the crude carving. The marks are heavy and directional, the result of a very physical, almost architectural process. I wonder what kind of tools he used? Some kind of adze, maybe? The paint is applied thickly, unifying the surface. The whole thing feels raw and immediate. Look at the mouth, barely there, just a slash. There is something so vulnerable and exposed in that economy. Baselitz is known for turning things upside down, and here, it feels like he’s turned inside out, presenting us with something elemental. I’m reminded of Kirchner and the German Expressionists. It feels like a conversation, an argument, an acknowledgement. Art is always in dialogue.