Unge kvinder. Fra venstre: Karen Bramsen; kunstnerens hustru Esther, f. Lange; Johanne Munch-Petersen. 1904

Julius Paulsen made this oil painting, "Young Women," location unknown, but maybe in Copenhagen?, with a loaded brush. The way he’s laid down the color, thick in some places, almost scrubbed into the canvas in others, reminds me that painting is as much about covering ground as it is about uncovering feelings. Look at the woman on the left, her dark dress almost dissolving into the background. See how Paulsen uses these tiny, deliberate strokes to define the lace at her shoulder? It's like he’s building the image from the shadows, a process of revelation rather than just representation. The brushwork isn't trying to hide itself; it's right there, part of the story. The painting has an Old Master vibe, like a nod to Rembrandt, but with a modern twist. It's a reminder that art doesn't happen in a vacuum. It's a conversation across time, a back-and-forth of marks and ideas that leaves room for us to jump in and add our own interpretations.