A Negra 1923

Tarsila do Amaral made "A Negra" with oil paint, and you can really sense her working through the process. I imagine her putting down that deep orange, building up the figure, layer after layer. The paint isn't thick, but it's definitely present, giving the body a kind of smoothed presence. She's really thinking about form, about how those curves and planes come together. The way she's simplified the face, those eyes looking off to the side… it's so evocative. What was it like to create this woman's features? You know, it makes me think about the ways artists are always talking to each other across time, picking up on ideas and pushing them in new directions. I think that's part of what makes painting so exciting—it's always alive, always changing, always open to new readings.