Portrait of Toty Rodríguez 1967

Oswaldo Guayasamin painted this striking portrait of Toty Rodríguez using oils, and it's all about how he puts paint to surface. Look at the face, it's like a mask made of ochre, red, and green - not exactly naturalistic, but incredibly direct. You can see the hand of the artist in those bold strokes, building up the form with decisive marks. It feels like he’s searching for the essence of the subject, not just copying what he sees. I find myself drawn to the eyes. They're these big, almond shapes filled with black, creating this really intense gaze. The way he's carved out the planes of her face with color gives it this sculptural quality. There's a roughness to the application of the paint that keeps it alive, it feels like a record of its own making. Think about Alice Neel; she did the same, always aiming for that raw, emotional truth in her portraits, and not being afraid to leave the marks visible. That’s where the real juice is, in the process itself.