Nude on the Chair 1935

Iosif Iser made this painting, Nude on the Chair, using expressive brushstrokes to describe the scene before us. It feels like Iser's totally absorbed in the process of making this painting. Looking at the texture, the paint's laid on kind of thick and juicy in places, especially around the chair and the figure’s contours. There’s a looseness to the way the colors blend. See the way he's used dashes of pink and green to describe the pattern on the chair? It's like he's not just painting what he sees, but also how he feels about it. The figure has a solidity but the background fades away, it’s a very intimate portrayal. Iser reminds me of Bonnard who also had an interest in the nude and interior spaces, but also a commitment to painting as an emotional activity. Both artists invite us to lose ourselves in the sheer pleasure of looking. Art isn't about fixed meanings, it's about opening up possibilities.