Meitenes portrets. 1964

Guntis Strupulis painted this portrait of a girl with watercolor sometime before 1974. There's a softness to this painting, a gentle wash of pink setting a dreamy mood. I can feel the artist's hand as he carefully builds up the layers, each stroke delicate and considered. Look at the way the fur collar is rendered; it’s not about precise detail but rather the suggestion of texture, a kind of hazy softness that makes you want to reach out and touch it. The girl’s gaze is downcast, introspective. You get the sense she is lost in thought. Strupulis has left traces of himself in this piece, not just in the subject but in the way he sees. Maybe he was thinking about other portrait painters, like Alice Neel, who also captured something raw and real about their subjects. Artists are always riffing off each other like that, an ongoing conversation across time. It's like they are all saying, "Hey, I see you, and I'm adding my voice to the mix."