Intimitate 1925

Samuel Mutzner made this painting, "Intimitate", with oil paint in a style which looks like he’s trying to get the whole thing down at once, like he’s in a hurry, or just really excited about what he’s doing. The colours are gorgeous, all muted pinks and yellows and browns, like a faded photograph. Look at the way he’s built up the figure with these little dabs of colour. It’s like he’s not trying to be precise, but more to capture the feeling of light on skin. And the background is just a riot of brushstrokes, swirling around the figure, almost threatening to swallow her up. I’m reminded of Vuillard, who also had this way of making paintings that feel both intimate and a little bit chaotic. For me, this piece embraces ambiguity, that feeling of something just out of reach, which is so much more interesting than anything too literal.