The Artist's Sister, Anna Giersing, Wearing a Red Shawl 1907

Harald Giersing painted ‘The Artist's Sister, Anna Giersing, Wearing a Red Shawl’ with oil on canvas, and what grabs me first is how the paint has been put down—those confident, visible marks are so full of purpose! Check out the surface texture, how it’s built up with layers of color, scumbling strokes everywhere. He’s not trying to hide the process, more like celebrating the physicality of the paint itself. There’s a lovely tension between the flatness of the picture plane and the depth suggested by the modeling of Anna’s figure. Notice how the bold outlines, especially around the shawl, almost vibrate against the softer forms. Giersing's handling of light and shadow, reminds me a bit of the early Fauves, artists like Matisse, who were also pushing the boundaries of color and form. What I like most is how he balances observation and abstraction, creating a portrait that’s both intimate and boldly modern. Art doesn't have to be one thing, it can be about all the things!