Thinking 1917

Ipolit Strambu made this oil painting, "Thinking," without a specific date, and it feels like a captured moment. The way the light glances across her pink blouse, it's like Strambu just mixed that color and laid it down, immediate and fresh. Up close, you can see how the paint has texture, not too thick, but enough to catch the light. The background fades into a deep brown, making the figure stand out, but softly. It's like he’s not trying to hide the process. Look at the way he’s painted her hands, a little awkward, but full of character. This piece reminds me of some of Vuillard's interiors, where the everyday becomes something quietly profound. Strambu isn’t trying to give us all the answers; instead, he’s inviting us to sit with the ambiguity, to think along with the woman in the painting.