Iphigenia Wise Ochs 1930

This is a portrait of Iphigenia Wise Ochs by Philip Alexius de László, and looking at it, I can almost feel the artist at work, layering and blending to capture her likeness. The color palette is very restricted with mostly dark hues. It is intriguing, isn't it, this dance between representation and abstraction? I wonder what László was thinking as he laid down these strokes? Was he trying to capture the essence of Iphigenia's personality, or was he more interested in exploring the play of light and shadow on her face and form? The artist's hand is visible in the soft, almost feathery brushwork, which gives the painting a sense of immediacy and intimacy. The shawl is so sheer, so transparent, that the eye is tricked into thinking it can see through it. Painters are always in conversation, riffing off each other, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can be. Ultimately, painting is a form of embodied expression, where meaning emerges through the act of creation and evolves with each viewer's interpretation.