Portrait of Zofia Atteslander 1908

Jacek Malczewski painted this portrait of Zofia Atteslander with oils on canvas. Look at that blue ground, so open and full of possibilities! I imagine Malczewski trying to get it just right, wiping it down, layering blues, turquoises, and whites, until it felt like the right kind of atmosphere for Zofia. She emerges from this sea of blue, wearing a stylish, patterned coat and a hat adorned with flowers. Her expression is reserved, a little mysterious. I wonder what she was thinking as she posed? Maybe Malczewski tried to capture her essence, her inner self. I like the brown smudge in the upper right corner, just behind her head – is it an animal, a dream, a figment? That smudge almost makes me think of Paula Modersohn-Becker and her intense portraits of women. Painters are always in conversation with each other across time, you know, echoing and riffing off each other's ideas. They embrace ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own experiences and interpretations to the work.