Manor-House at Körtvélyes 1907

Jozsef Rippl-Ronai made this painting of a Manor-House at Körtvélyes with what looks like thick strokes and dabs of rich, tactile paint. I like to imagine him working outside and trying to catch the light on the building and garden. It's a really intimate way of seeing. The paint has a great texture, almost like it's been sculpted onto the canvas. Look at the red of the woman’s skirt and the red umbrella! It feels like it has been laid down with real intention to draw the eye. There’s an energy to the way he’s applied the paint, especially in the rendering of the trees and foliage. It's like he’s not just painting what he sees, but how he feels being there. The white of the building is not just white. It’s full of other colours, and the way those colors mix and blend is what gives the painting so much life. For me, Rippl-Ronai's way of seeing reminds me a little of Bonnard, how he brings a certain domestic intimacy to his paintings of gardens. It’s interesting how artists can have a dialogue across time and place, each bringing their own unique way of seeing to a shared conversation.