Baletistă 1930

Iosif Iser made this oil painting, Baletistă, sometime in the early to mid 20th century, and what strikes me is how he makes this fleshy, warm figure, so immediate and present, with these loose, painterly gestures. The paint itself is pretty thin, allowing the canvas texture to peek through, especially in the background, which gives it a kind of airy, unfinished quality. I like how the background almost feels like it’s breathing, like a living presence behind her. Look at the way he’s built up the skin tones with layers of pinks, oranges, and ochres, it’s so subtle. That red stool is particularly interesting to me. It’s like a little burst of energy, anchoring the composition. And that almost Fauvist use of color reminds me of Matisse, another artist who was fascinated by the expressiveness of the human figure. In the end, the painting feels like a record of Iser's looking, thinking, and feeling, all at once.