Portrait of An Italian Lady 1908

Fujishima Takeji painted this “Portrait of An Italian Lady” with oils, and it’s all about the brushstrokes. See how they swirl and blend? I bet it took Takeji many attempts, scraping off layers, starting again, until she began to emerge. I feel for Takeji, caught between worlds, trying to make something new. Painting is like that, you know, a conversation across time. He's looking back at the old masters and trying to figure out how to make it his own. I bet he was staring intensely at the subject, lost in thought, trying to capture her essence. I wonder if they talked at all while he was working? Look at the way he layers those earthy tones, building depth and mood, and then he brings it to life with those subtle highlights on her face and dress. Each dab and stroke feels deliberate, charged with feeling. Ultimately, painting is a process, not a product. It's about intuition, feeling, and the physicality of the medium.