Lady with Opera Glasses 1941

Cyprián Majerník made this small painting of a woman with opera glasses using short strokes and an earthy, warm color palette. I imagine Majerník standing close to the canvas, his brush dancing to capture this lady's gaze. Look how the paint is dabbed and swirled to make up her face and hands. See the way the warm brown tones blend into the light, creamy whites, especially where she holds the glasses to her eyes. There's something so intimate about this painting. It reminds me of Vuillard, but with a touch more melancholy. I can almost feel the weight of her gaze, the hush of the theater, and the artist's concentration, all captured in these humble marks. I always feel that painters are in dialogue with one another, across time. It's so nice to feel that sense of company, of passing on something of ourselves, like a secret code.