Girl by the Window with Flower 1904

Bela Czobel made this painting called ‘Girl by the Window with Flower’ with oils on canvas. I’m immediately drawn to the flat planes of color and texture. I wonder about his process. How does he capture the light and air? It's not about photographic likeness here, but how does he translate the feeling of the scene? You can almost imagine him standing in front of the canvas, brush in hand, stepping back, squinting and letting his intuition guide his strokes, right? I wonder if he was working on this outside, en plein air? Look at the way the pink of the blouse against the dark skirt creates a mood. This guy is part of an artistic lineage. He is probably in conversation with artists like Vuillard and Bonnard, who were also interested in capturing everyday life in their own way. It’s like they’re all sharing notes! This painting is about seeing, feeling, and translating that onto canvas. I love the way the artist invites us to participate in his own experience.