Gabriele Munter 1905

This is Wassily Kandinsky’s portrait of Gabriele Münter, painted with oils in Munich. What I love is the frankness in Kandinsky’s brushstrokes, the way he seems unafraid to let the process be visible, like the painting is exhaling. The textures are so present – you can almost feel the push and pull of the brush, especially in the highlights on her pale dress. And look at the violet backdrop, it's not flat, it's alive with subtle shifts in tone, like a storm brewing just behind her. There’s a real tenderness in how he captures her gaze, that sort of quiet strength. It's like he’s not just painting a face, but a whole world of inner thoughts and feelings. Thinking about it, this portrait reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker's portraits. Both artists had this way of making the personal feel universal, and of finding depth in the everyday.